Will Best says he’d be ‘very happy with male Strictly partner’ – but admits one big hurdle (EXCLUSIVE)
With the pairing reveal fast approaching, Best speaks to Attitude about what he is expecting from the competition
By Aaron Sugg
Big Brother presenter and total TV heartthrob Will Best is swapping hosting duties for the ballroom, as the star joins 15 celebrities on Strictly Come Dancing 2026.
With the pairing reveal fast approaching, Best has spoken to Attitude about what he is expecting from the competition.
The Big Brother presenter recently spoke on Hits Radio Breakfast about his family wondering whether he might be paired with a male dancer.
Will Best says he’d be “very happy with a male partner”
Speaking to Attitude, Best says he’d be “very happy with a male partner”, though he noted one major problem: “They’re all too tall for me.”
“So the downside would be I wouldn’t be able to do as many lifts. But then on the plus side, I’d probably be able to actually get lifted, which would arguably be more fun anyway,” Best explains.
As of yet, there have been four same-sex pairings on the show, and in all four examples, at least one half of the partnership was publicly LGBTQ+.
Same-sex partnerships in Strictly Come Dancing
The first was Olympic boxer Nicola Adams, who was paired with Katya Jones in 2020, followed by celebrity baker John Whaite and Johannes Radebe in 2021, comedian Jayde Adams and Karen Hauer in 2022, and actor Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin in 2023.
If Best were to be paired with another man, he’d be the first straight celebrity to be paired with a professional dancer of the same sex.
The TV personality will star alongside several other notable names, with one all the way from Down Under.
Who is in Strictly Come Dancing 2026?
Australia’s 2026 Eurovision entry and Attitude Pride Award performer Delta Goodrem will be putting on her dancing shoes.
Coming back home to the UK from the US is celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton, who is one of two publicly LGBTQ+ stars competing on this year’s competition.
Bethany Antonia, of House of the Dragon and Hadestown fame, is the second, set to light up the Strictly dancefloor.
The new series starts on BBC One at 7.25pm on 19 September 2026, with the celebrities being paired with their professional partners.
Full Strictly Come Dancing line-up”
- Will Best
- Delta Goodrem
- Chris Appleton
- Bethany Antonia
- Lacey Turner – EastEnders star
- Dani Dyer – Love Island winner and TV personality
- Cach Mercer – Love Island winner
- Dame Sarah Storey – Paralympic cyclist
- Jaime Winstone – actor
- Shaun Wright-Phillips – former footballer
- Graeme Hall – TV presenter and dog expert
- Lawrence Robb – Emmerdale actor
- John Nellis – football content creator
- Melanie Walters – Gavin & Stacey actor
- Tabby Stoecker – Winter Olympic gold medallist