Will Young won’t be paired with a same-sex partner on Strictly Come Dancing
By Will Stroude
Will Young might be waltzing across our screens on Saturday nights this autumn on BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing, but the pop singer won’t be doing it with a male dance partner, show bosses have confirmed.
The ‘Jealousy’ singer became the second celebrity to be confirmed this year’s edition of the celebrity dace competitions, yesterday (August 8), with the 37-year-old telling fans he was “so excited” to be joining the show.
However, it has now been revealed to Attitude that Young, who came out as gay in 2002 following his victory on the first ever series of Pop Idol, will be paired with a female dancer during his time in the competition, as the debate about whether the BBC reality show should include same-sex pairings rumbles on.
Confirming the news in a statement yesterday (August 8), BBC bosses said: “The show has chosen the traditional Latin and Ballroom format of mixed-sex couples.”
Strictly has been subject of debate about same-sex dance pairings for the last couple of years, with everyone from celebrities contestants to the show’s professional dancers and judges having their say.
Judge Craig Revel Horwood, who has served on the Strictly panel since 2004 raised hopes last year when he revealed that same-sex pairings were “on the cards”, adding “most certainly” will happen at some point.
One of the show’s former professionals, James Jordan, previously denounced the idea as “wrong”, however, warning that the BBC “would lose so many viewers” were it to let two men or two women compete together on the show.
“I have nothing against same-sex couples, if they want to go and do their own competitions,” he continued. “But ballroom and Latin dancing is about a man dancing with a woman – that’s fact”.
Back in 2014, gay Radio 1 presenter Scott Mills defended the BBC’s decision to pair him with a woman during the competition, saying that same-sex pairings don’t “work as well in things like ballroom”.
While a full-time same-sex pairing might not be on the cards this series, Strictly did feature its first same-sex dance back 2014 between two of the show’s professional dancers, Robin Windsor and Aljaž Skorjanec – click here to watch the moment.
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