Scarlett Moffatt: Strictly Christmas special one of the greatest days of my life
The Gogglebox star trained in ballroom dancing as a child.
Scarlett Moffatt has said appearing on the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special was “one of the greatest days of my entire life.”
The TV star, who competed in ballroom and Latin dance as a child, is paired with professional dancer Vito Coppola for the festive instalment of the BBC show.
The pre-recorded episode will be the last hosting appearance from Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.
Moffatt posted a video montage on Instagram, featuring footage from her childhood dancing competitions, edited with sequences of her training for Strictly with Coppola.
She captioned the post: “I know I’ll probably never get to dance on the main Strictly series because of my past dance experience when I was a little girl so getting to be part of the Christmas special means everything to me.
“School wasn’t always easy for me, but dance was my safe place. It’s where I found my people, where I felt happiest, and where I could just be me.
“Dancing on the Strictly Christmas Special, on Christmas Day, feels like a true bucket-list moment — one of those wishes you make quietly and never really expect to come true.
“I am so grateful to share this moment with my family, my friends, Vito and everyone watching at home & this will forever be one of the greatest days of my entire life.”
The other stars taking part in the special are All Saints singer Melanie Blatt, who is paired with professional dancer Kai Widdrington; EastEnders star Nicholas Bailey, who is dancing with Luba Mushtuk and actor and podcaster Babatunde Aleshe, paired with Nancy Xu.
Westlife singer Brian McFadden will perform with professional dancer Michelle Tsiakkas, while Gladiator Jodie Ounsley is paired with Neil Jones.
Moffatt previously teased there will be “a lot of spins, a lot of silver” in her “camp” dance performance which will see her “spin around in a big bauble”.
The 35-year-old is dancing a cha cha to Cher’s DJ Play A Christmas Song, which the US singer performed on the show in December 2023.
The contestants will be judged by Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke – though the voting studio audience will have the ultimate say over who wins.
The special will be the last time Winkleman and Daly appear on the show as hosts after announcing their departure in October.
The Strictly Christmas special will air on BBC One and iPlayer from 5.30pm on Christmas Day.
