BREAKING NEWS: Strictly Come Dancing fans have already spotted 2026 winner during launch show
Strictly Come Dancing fans believe they may already have spotted the strongest contenders for the 2026 Glitterball after two celebrity-professional partnerships immediately caught viewers’ attention during the launch show.
The BBC competition returned on Saturday night, September 19, with 15 new celebrities officially taking to the ballroom and discovering which professional dancer they would compete alongside.
But it was EastEnders star Lacey Turner’s partnership with Vito Coppola and Australian singer Delta Goodrem’s pairing with Kai Widdrington that particularly stood out to viewers, with both couples quickly emerging in early discussions about who could go far in the competition.
The predictions come incredibly early, with none of the celebrities having yet completed their first full competitive routine.
Nevertheless, viewers wasted little time identifying the partnerships they believe could become serious contenders.
Strictly Launches a Completely New Era
The 2026 launch also marked the beginning of a major new chapter for Strictly.
Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe made their debut as the programme’s new presenting trio, becoming the first three-person hosting team in the show’s history.
They have replaced Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, who stepped down last year after becoming synonymous with the BBC favourite.
The episode began with a large opening dance involving the professional dancers, judges and new hosts.
Reflecting on taking part, Emma admitted she never expected to find herself dancing alongside the show’s professionals.
“Never in a million years did I ever think I would get to dance with Strictly pros,” she said.
Johannes, who moved from professional dancer to presenter, added: “And I definitely never thought it would be the three of us standing in the spot.”
Celebrity Pairings Revealed Differently
The launch show also introduced a new way of matching the celebrities with their professional partners.
In recent series, the pairings had been revealed through separate filmed segments.
This time, the contestants discovered their partners on the ballroom floor itself.
The celebrities were divided into three groups and took part in three specially choreographed dances, with the final partnerships emerging during the performances.
The revamped format brought an additional element of suspense to the launch as viewers waited to discover which stars would ultimately be placed together.
Among the confirmed partnerships was Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin.
The Love Island winner was reunited with Nikita after originally being paired with him the previous year before having to withdraw because of injury.
Bethany Antonia Makes Strictly History With Nancy Xu
Another partnership attracting attention was Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu.
Their pairing becomes only the third all-female celebrity-professional partnership in Strictly Come Dancing history.
Nicola Adams and Katya Jones became the show’s first female same-sex pairing in 2020, followed by Jayde Adams and Karen Hauer in 2022.
Bethany and Nancy will now follow in their footsteps during the 2026 competition.
But when viewers began looking ahead to who might eventually lift the Glitterball Trophy, two other couples appeared to make particularly strong first impressions.
Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola Catch Fans’ Attention
Lacey Turner was paired with Vito Coppola, and the combination quickly became one of the launch show’s most talked-about partnerships.
The EastEnders actress enters the competition as one of the most recognisable faces in this year’s celebrity line-up, while Vito brings considerable experience as a Strictly professional.
Their partnership was one of those singled out by viewers making extremely early predictions about this year’s potential winner.
Delta Goodrem and Kai Widdrington also attracted attention.
The Australian singer’s pairing with Kai was another combination viewers identified as potentially significant as the full 2026 line-up finally came together.
At this stage, however, those reactions remain nothing more than early fan predictions.
None of the couples have faced the judges with a competitive routine, meaning their true prospects remain unknown.
Race for the Glitterball Begins
The launch show gave audiences their first opportunity to see the complete 2026 cast alongside their professional partners.
From Dani’s reunion with Nikita to Bethany and Nancy’s historic partnership, there was plenty for viewers to discuss before the competition itself had properly begun.
Yet Lacey and Vito, alongside Delta and Kai, appear to have made particularly memorable first impressions.
Whether either pairing can live up to those early expectations will only become clear when the scored performances begin.
For now, all 15 couples remain in contention — but some Strictly fans already believe they have narrowed down the names to watch.
