BBC Strictly Come Dancing icon Rumoured to be Returning after major show SHAKE-UP ANNOUNCEMENT

A former Strictly Come Dancing favourite has voiced his enthusiasm for the prospect of an all-stars edition of the beloved dance competition.

Ian Waite, who graced the BBC’s Saturday night sensation from 2004 to 2010, has floated the idea that a special series featuring fan-favourite pairs could be a major draw for the audience.

During an exclusive conversation with BANG Showbiz, Ian opened up about the potential for such a series.

He said: “It’s definitely something that they could look into because there’s so much nostalgia.”

Ian, who during his tenure on Strictly Come Dancing was paired with well-known figures like Zoe Ball, Denise Lewis and singer Mica Paris, fondly reflected on his previous collaborations.

He nostalgically recalled his time on the show, commenting: “Everybody loves the old pros from Strictly and the nostalgia that goes around it with certain couples, let’s say Darren (Bennett) and Jill Halfpenny and me and Zoe Ball, Vincent (Simone) with Rachel Stevens,” reports Wales Online.

Convinced that the return of celebrated partnerships would captivate viewers, Ian remarked: “There’s a lot of couples that could possibly come back and yeah, an all-stars would be a great thing to do I think.”

Despite the recent issues that have cast a shadow over the show, including the complaints made by Amanda Abbington about her professional partner Giovanni Pernice in the 2023 season, Ian remains hopeful for the future of Strictly Come Dancing.

Giovanni has since left the pro line-up, alongside Graziano Di Prima after a BBC investigation into the show.

Ian believes that the introduction of new safeguarding measures will help prevent similar incidents.

Reflecting on his time on the show, he remarked: “This is an isolated case I think. In general the pros are really professional and really hard-working. In my experience, we’ve all worked really hard, we’ve all done competitions, we’re all at the top of our game and that’s why we’re on Strictly.

“Hopefully the safeguarding is in place now so that that won’t happen again and I think that’s the best for everybody really because it protects not only the celebrities but it protects the pros – because who’s to say we won’t be abused.”

Ian is currently taking part in The Return of the Legends tour with fellow former Strictly stars Brendan Cole, James Jordan, Pasha Kovalev, and Vincent Simone.

He has been taken aback by the strong sense of brotherhood they’ve formed, despite their naturally competitive natures.

He shared: “That’s what’s been so great, we’ve got this really great bromance backstage.

“I wasn’t really sure whether we’d all be able to bond because we’ve all done our own shows and been very successful performing in our shows.

“We weren’t sure whether we’d be able to get on but actually it’s like a proper bromance backstage and we all love each other. We all appreciate each other.”

The Return of the Legends tour is set to grace the stages of Llandudno’s Venue Cymru and Cardiff’s New Theatre later this year.