The Strictly Come Dancing professionals are back together, twirling, lifting and sashaying their way around the dancefloor as they prepare to go back on tour again after two years.
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"We finally get to dance with other professionals. I love dancing with the celebs on Strictly and teaching them, but this is completely different," professional dancer Nadiya Bychkova exclusively tells HELLO! as she and her fellow dancers speak to us in between run-throughs.
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The Strictly cast are looking forward to their supportive loved ones joining them for some of the dates. "Joe [Sugg] is really excited to come and watch," says Dianne Buswell of her boyfriend, who is a former Strictly finalist himself.
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Also joining in the fun will be Gorka's fiancée Gemma Atkinson, with whom he is parent to two-year- old Mia. "Mia loves dancing and all the lighting. She came to watch me in my other tour, Firedance, and loved it so she's excited to come and watch this one," he says.
Gorka, 31, was in the middle of a tour when he became a dad and had to return to the road just a few days after Mia's birth. He explains: "It's hard to leave Mia and Gemma, but I am very good at finding the balance.
"For example, I didn't do the arena tour so I could spend more time at home because I knew I'd be busy for this part of the year. And when I have a day off, I go home and make that day count."
The Strictly professionals are going on a nationwide tour together
Karen Hauer also prioritises striking that all-important balance between work and home life. "Having a relationship with someone who's not in our industry gives me balance," she says of her beau, fitness professional Jordan Jones Williams.
"It's nice to go home to him after a full day of rehearsals and just switch off. We don't really talk about my day. We cook together or take the dogs out. It's a lovely balance."
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For Nadiya, dance provides somewhat of an escape from the difficult reality of having some of her close family members in war- torn Ukraine. "Dancing has given me joy, positivity, energy and motivation all my life," says Nadiya.
"It is a very sad situation [in Ukraine]. My mum and daughter are with me, but my father and grandparents are there, so this is an everyday worry I have. I just wish for this to end as soon as possible."
Strictly Come Dancing - The Professionals UK Tour, 28 April-30 May. For tickets, visit strictlytheprofessionals.com
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