BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Shayne Ward given show 'return' boost after upsetting exit

Shayne Ward is set to return to the world of Strictly Come Dancing in just a matter of weeks as he's been given a boost following his upsetting exit.

The singer and actor was the seventh celebrity to be elminated from the BBC One dance contest earlier this month alongside professional dance partner Nancy Xu.

But it's now been confirmed that Shayne's dancing journey will continue as he signed up to return to the dancefloor in the new year as part of the Strictly Come Dancing 2025 Live Tour.

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The former Coronation Street star is so far joined by actress Sarah Hadland and Gladiators star Montell Douglas and the trio, who have competed in the dancing competition in the latest series, are the first celebrities confirmed for the string of shows which will run from January 17 to February 9, 2025.

The arena tour will open in Birmingham before moving to Sheffield, Newcastle, Glasgow, Liverpool, Leeds, Manchester and Nottingham, with the final shows set for London’s O2 Arena.

Former X Factor winner Shayne, whose exit from Strictly's 20th-anniversary series before Blackpool week alongside Nancy sparked outrage among viewers, said he is "buzzing" to get on the road.

As the news was announced, Shayne said: "I’ve sung in many of the venues before, so I know the amazing atmosphere that the arena audiences bring. I’m looking forward to seeing all the fans there."

Sarah, who is partnered with reigning champion Vito Coppola on the BBC series, said she is “very excited” to be joining the tour as she has been having “such a ball” on the show. The Miranda star jointly topped the Strictly leaderboard in Blackpool over the weekend alongside Love Island star Tasha Ghouri, with both receiving a near-perfect score of 39 points.

"After the amazing experience of performing in Blackpool at the weekend, I’m delighted that I’ll be able to continue this fabulous journey on the tour in 2025," Sarah added.

Olympic athlete Montell Douglas, who has been setting the Strictly dancefloor alight with professional Johannes Radebe this series, said she "can’t wait" to share the "incredible" Strictly experience with audiences across the UK. She added: “Strictly fans on tour – are you ready? I’m beyond excited to be joining the live tour. I’ve heard amazing things about audiences all over the country. Bring on January."

The famous faces will be joined by the Strictly judges Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke, Craig Revel Horwood and for the first time on the tour, Motsi Mabuse, who will provide their professional insight and scores on the performances, while It Takes Two host Janette Manrara returns to host the tour once again.

The tour allows audiences across the country the chance to witness all the glitz and glamour of the show live on stage in their own area. Alongside a host of lively performances, audiences are granted the power to decide who wins the coveted glitterball trophy at the end of each show. Each performance will also host a British Sign Language interpreter.

Further casting announcements will be made soon and tickets are on sale now from https://strictlycomedancinglive.com.