Strictly Come Dancing fans object after Anne-Marie 'broke major rule' on the show
Strictly Come Dancing's much-anticipated return to our weekend TV schedules has been upstaged by none other than pop icon Anne-Marie. The 33-year-old songstress, known for her smash hits including Rockabye and Ciao Adios, teased her upcoming performance on the BBC dance series, as it ramped up for its grand 2024 opening on Saturday night (September 14).
Bursting with excitement, she shared a glimpse of the action on her social platforms, along with a photo featuring some of Strictly's professional dancers. But in her excitement, Anne-Marie may have accidentally jumped the gun by revealing what the show's pros would be wearing for their first dance, ruining the surprise on the night.
Seen in a crisp white ensemble complete with thigh-high boots, Anne-Marie stood out against the professionals' black-themed costumes while they jokingly expressed sadness at not having her join the dance line-up.
READ MORE:TV chef James Martin swears by two-ingredient diet after losing 3st
READ MORE:Vanessa Feltz rushed into emergency surgery after being taken to hospital in 'extraordinary pain'
On her Instagram stories, Anne-Marie wrote: "Performing on @bbcstrictly tomorrow! Just singing though no dancing this time lol".
In preparation for the series' return, show bosses made some tweaks following a drama-filled offseason that included various allegations against past pro dancers and controversies over how celebs gear up for those glittering Saturday night shows. It's been reported that producers have brought back a weekly rehearsal time limit, first seen last year, reports Lancs Live.
This rule gives the stars and their dance pros a maximum of 48 hours to perfect their moves each week, which works out to about eight hours a day, with a well-deserved rest day thrown in. It seems the pairs can divvy up these hours however they fancy, just so long as they don't go over their weekly quota.
The idea behind this was to even out the competition, considering everyone's got different schedules to juggle. The Sun reported: "The spread of hours across the week is completely up to each celebrity".
Sign up to OK!'s daily newsletter to get updates sent to your inbox for free
Ex-Love Islander Tasha Ghouri has opened up about her own practice woes, sharing similarities between herself and former contestant Rose Ayling-Ellis, who made history as Strictly's inaugural deaf contestant.
Tasha shared her personal rehearsal vibe: "It's exactly the same for me as Rose, I feel the music, base and the beats. With the counts, that's where I'm struggling a little bit. What I'm used to is five, six, seven, eight. But the counts are off with the music, so I feel like I'm not in time. I'm having to feel the music and play the sounds in my head. It's a weird way but that's how my brain works."
She said while all the dances were hard "because they're so disciplined", she found the pace of Latin the hardest to manage.
"You have to move your feet quickly and I'm trying to keep up, which is tough. It's super fun but a challenge. The training, trying to push through, it's hard sometimes. It's knowing your body and where you are physically and mentally. The opportunity only happens once, so I'm trying to make the most out of it."