Strictly fans dub the show a 'fix' due to Lewis Cope's dancing background
He appeared on Got to Dance back in 2013
The 2025 series of Strictly Come Dancing kicked off with a pre-recorded launch show on Saturday 20th September, where fans were given the chance to meet this year's celebrities and discover which professional dancers they've been paired with.
Whilst viewers have chosen their early favourites, there's been a little bit of backlash surrounding actor Lewis Cope's involvement, after the extent of his dance background has been revealed.
Lewis, who was a late addition to the 2025 series after Game of Thrones actor Kristian Nairn pulled out, not only appeared in a stage adaptation of Billy Elliot as a kid, but he was also part of a dance troupe called Ruff Diamond, who finished as runners-up on Sky One dance competition Got to Dance in 2013.
30-year-old Lewis, who is from Hartlepool, decided at the age of 18 he would pursue a career in drama and he went on to appear in shows such as Doctors and Vera, before landing a role on Emmerdale as Nicky Miligan in 2022.
Speaking about his involvement in this year's Strictly, Lewis said: "I'm so excited to be swapping the Dales for the dance floor and joining this year's Strictly Come Dancing. I've always been a fan of the show and cannot wait to get started!"
During Saturday night's launch show, Lewis discovered he will be paired with Russian pro Katya Jones, who hasn't won the show since series 15 back in 2017. Over the last five years, Katya has been paired with the likes of Nicola Adams, Adam Peaty, Tony Adams, Nigel Harman and Wynne Evans.
After hearing about Lewis' past experience, a number of viewers took to social media to express their anger, with some even calling the show a 'fix'.
One wrote: 'So #Hodor's replacement in #Strictly is a pro dancer who has been in #BillyElliot 🤷♀️🙅♀️'. Another wrote: 'I need lewis to stop pretending he’s not a trained dancer'. A third then said: 'Another year, another celeb who is a trained dancer! FIX'. (sic)
Others are excited to see what Lewis can bring to the show. One wrote: 'This is a very good partnership 😍 I have high hopes!!', with another adding: 'Think he’s gonna be absolutely amazing!!'. A third wrote: 'He was my male pick from the group dance, I think he'll be amazing in the weeks to come'. (sic)
Another then said: 'I'm excited to see these two gonna go far glitter all the way 💙🕺🔥💃🔥'. (sic)
Check out all of this year's Strictly pairings below:
Balvinder Sopal and Julian Caillon
Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin
George Clarke and Alexis Warr
Lewis Cope and Katya Jones
Karen Carney and Carlos Gu
Alex Kingston and Johannes Radebe: ELIMINATED
La Voix and Aljaž Škorjanec: FORCED TO WITHDRAW
Drag Queen La Voix was forced to pull out of the competition ahead of Blackpool week. Hosts Tess and Claudia said: "As you may have heard La Voix sustained an injury meaning she can't dance in Blackpool tonight. Following further advice from our medical team, we can now confirm very sadly that she has had to withdraw from the competition."
Vicky Pattison and Kai Widdrington: ELIMINATED
Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and Karen Hauer: ELIMINATED
Ellie Goldstein and Vito Coppola: ELIMINATED
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Lauren Oakley: ELIMINATED
Stefan Dennis and Dianne Buswell: FORCED TO WITHDRAW
After four weeks in the competition, Neighbours star Stefan Dennis announced he'd been forced to quit the competition, revealing he'd torn his calf muscle.
Chris Robshaw and Nadiya Bychkova: ELIMINATED
Ross King and Jowita Przystal: ELIMINATED
Thomas Skinner and Amy Dowden: ELIMINATED
Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin: FORCED TO WITHDRAW
Just days ahead of her first live performance, Dani released a statement to announce she'd had to pull out of the series after suffering a fractured ankle in training. It has now been confirmed that Amber Davies will replace her and pair with Nikita.
Of course, Lewis isn't the only celeb to take part in Strictly with previous dance experience, Gladiators star Nitro, real name Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, appeared on last year's Christmas special.
The likes of Layton Williams, Tasha Ghouri and JB Gill from past series have also faced similar criticism over the years.
Strictly Come Dancing airs every Saturday and Sunday night on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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