Strictly Come Dancing’s Dianne Buswell issues plea to viewers in emotional tribute to partner

The Strictly Come Dancing professionals are currently preparing for the new series, with Dianne Buswell sharing an emotional tribute to her former partner

Dianne Buswell, the reigning Strictly Come Dancing champion, has taken time to look back on her incredible journey from last year.

This week has seen the celebrities participating in this year’s series begin to be revealed, with several names already confirmed.

As a fresh lineup prepares to grace the BBC dance floor later this year, Dianne paused to celebrate her previous partner, comedian Chris McCausland.

Chris created history last year as the first visually impaired contestant to participate in the programme and subsequently claimed the Glitterball trophy alongside Dianne.

Posting a montage of footage from their practice sessions, the Strictly professional expressed nothing but admiration when discussing Chris and his remarkable progress, reports Wales Online.

Strictly Come Dancing’s Dianne Buswell issues plea to viewers in emotional tribute to partner(Image: BBC)

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She wrote alongside the heartwarming video: “With the new celebs being announced, it made me have a look down memory lane. I came across these videos of Chris, and it made me so incredibly proud.

“Dance didn’t come naturally at all …as he would say to me daily “I’m just a 47 year old man who sits on a stool for a living Di….. “[sic] but it didn’t stop him his hard work dedication and a real laugh along the way got him through.

“So DON’T underestimate any of the contestants because you never know how it will pan out. It makes me so excited for each and every one of them, another brilliant year is ahead of us.”

However, viewers will need to wait a bit longer to discover whether Dianne gets paired with a celebrity partner this year, as not all professional dancers take part in the main competition but instead feature in the group performances.

This will be the situation for Gorka Marquez, who has confirmed he won’t be dancing with a celebrity this series due to other professional obligations.

So far, Gladiator star Harry Aikines-Aryeetey aka Nitro, reality personality Dani Dyer, actress Alex Kingston, and former footballer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink have been revealed as contestants for this year’s programme.

The soap star is taking part in this year’s Strictly(Image: ITV)

During Tuesday’s Good Morning Britain, the fifth celebrity was announced as EastEnders actress Balvinder Sopal, known for portraying Suki Panesar in the BBC soap.

Discussing her participation in the show, she remarked: “I can’t believe it! I’m really, really excited, I can’t stop the butterflies! Every time I think about it, they just go. I’m hoping I’ll be able to contain them on the floor.”

The performer also spoke about her continuing role in the soap, explaining: “I’ll still be working here (EastEnders). So, I’ll be doing two jobs. I don’t know how I’m going to handle it. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I’m really looking forward to it, we’ll see.”

Strictly Come Dancing is set to air later this year on BBC One.