Strictly Come Dancing reveals first Christmas Special star - and they're 'utterly terrified'
Josh Widdicombe has been confirmed as the first star to take to the Strictly Come Dancing ballroom this Christmas. On Strictly: It Takes Two, stand-up comedian, Josh, was announced as the first celebrity included in 2024’s Christmas line up, and will be paired with professional dancer Karen Hauer.
On taking part in the show later this year, the comedian, 41, admitted: “I am utterly terrified this will end in humiliation and worried I’m going to be so bad I will ruin Christmas for the nation. Why have I done this?”. The other five celebrities all vying for the Silver Star trophy under the watchful eyes of the beloved Strictly judges are yet to be announced.
Josh is famed for starring in Channel 4’s The Last Leg, of which he’s appeared in over thirty series as the team captain. Josh can also be found sharing parenting woes with fellow comedian Rob Beckett on their podcast Parenting Hell. He’s also appeared in episodes of QI, A League of Their Own, Have I Got News For You and Taskmaster, where he was winner of his series, and later won the Champion of Champions special.
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Off-screen, Josh and his wife Rose have been married for five years and are doting parents to their two young children – Pearl, who was born in October 2017, and Cassius, who joined the family in May 2021. The comedian often shares insights into their parenting journey on his podcast Parenting Hell with Rob.
In a particularly moving episode, Josh opened up about his and Rosie's painful experience with miscarriage. He said: "The reason I haven't spoken about it is because when Rose was pregnant which came after the miscarriage, you feel like - I know this sounds mad - but you don't want to tempt fate. I was just like, 'I just want to get to the end of this.' I didn't feel like I wanted say, 'but now we've got a happy ending because we're pregnant again', because you still feel like you're part of it."
Last year, it was EastEnders’ Jamie Borthwick and pro dancer Nancy Xu who were the proud winners of the Silver Star trophy. Jamie was up against five other celebrities, presenter Dan Snow, rugby player Danny Cipriani, Sugababes singer Keisha Buchanan, BBC presenter Sally Nugent and actress Tillie Amartey.
Now, Jamie is now showing off his moves in the main show with professional partner Michelle Tsiakkas, while Xu and her celeb partner, The X Factor champ and singer Shayne Ward, sadly exited after losing the dance-off in Sunday's results show (10 November).
