Dan Walker ‘gutted’ for Strictly partner as line-up news emerges

Dan Walker admitted he is “gutted” Nadiya Bychkova has not been partnered with a celebrity contestant. According to reports, the Strictly star has been left “seething” as she will be unable to compete in the new series. Dan, who was partnered with the Ukrainian-born dancer in 2021, has come to her defence as the Channel 5 News broadcaster reacted to the claim. Taking to Instagram today, in view of his 291,000 followers, he mused: “Strictly is such an amazing show and it’s almost time for the new series… what a great line-up this year. “All the pros are great but gutted to hear that @nadiyabychkova hasn’t got a partner. I’m sure she’s still looking forward to being part of the biggest show on TV but it feels a bit like putting Messi on the bench for the World Cup final!” Dan Walker took part in Strictly in 2021 (Image: Getty) He went on: “She is so talented, the best teacher anyone could hope for, a top class lobster and… she’s the Yorkshire Barmaid! “It is an incredible show to be on and the whole team are amazing. I hope all the celebs enjoy it and we are all about the A-Team in our house… the 2 Angela’s, Amanda, Adam and Annabel. How about you?” Nadiya replied: “You are right partner. I am looking forward to it [lobster emoji].” Strictly viewers also reacted to the news as they flooded the comment section. Nadiya Bychkova with beau Kai Widdrington (Image: Getty) One penned: “So, so gutting to hear Nadiya hasn’t got a partner, she’s truly incredible at what she does and seeing her grow and do what she does best is so very special. It’ll be weird without her performing each week but I really hope they still showcase her incredible talent as often as possible.” A second commented: “I am so very sad for Nadiya. She is a joy and brings such lightness and elegance to Strictly.” “Very sad not to have Nadiya,” a third remarked. Others hit out at Dan for announcing show spoilers, as one fan fumed: “Thanks for the spoiler alert Dan, managed to avoid all the advance notice of who has which partner.” The Mirror reported that Ukrainian dancer Nadiya was left ‘fuming’ by the revelation. A source said: ‘Nadiya lives and breathes Strictly, and so to hear that she wouldn’t have a celebrity partner this year was crushing for her. She was both gutted, and very, very angry.” She has been dating fellow Strictly professional Kai Widdrington since January 2022. Nadiya joined the BBC show in 2017 and has been paired with Holby City actor Davood Ghadami, Blue singer Lee Ryan, former Engalnd footballer David James, Bros star Matt Goss and most recently Dan. Express.co.uk has contacted the BBC for comment.