It won't be long before the Strictly Come Dancing rumour mill comes to a halt – because there's not long to wait before the 2018 series begins! The BBC have announced that the Strictly red carpet event (during which this year's celebrities are revealed) will take place on 27 August, followed by the launch show on 31 August – since the ticket ballot has opened for fans to apply to watch the show live. The show is known to be pre-recorded, so it's thought that the first show will air on Saturday 1 September. Exciting!
There's not long to wait before the new series of Strictly kicks off!
There have been plenty of theories surrounding which stars will join the cast of this year's run of the dance show, with Scarlett Moffatt being the most recent celebrity to hint she might be seen competing for the glitterball trophy – but it will be the annual red carpet event, hosted by Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly, where we will finally find out 2018's contestants.
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While we don't know which stars will partner them, we do know the professional cast for this year – and it's the biggest line-up yet! With Brendan Cole and Chloe Hewitt leaving the team, new dancers Graziano Di Prima, Johannes Radebe and Luba Mushtuk have been announced as new additions – meaning the total number of professional dancers will be higher than any previous year.
MORE: This year's rumoured Strictly line-up
Louise Rainbow, who is executive producer on Strictly, said at the time: "A huge thank you goes to Brendan from all of us for 15 amazing series of Strictly. We wish him all the very best with his future projects. We would also like to thank Chloe and wish her well."
And while we wait patiently for September to find out their celebrity partners, 2018's professionals will actually start immediately! Gorka Marquez even took to Instagram on Monday morning to reveal his excitement, writing, "We are back!! @bbcstrictly 2018 series starts today. Excited for my third series. Who will be sharing the dance floor with me and learning to not only dance, but also trying to understand my Spanish Accent?"
