Strictly Come Dancing is starting in just under two weeks, and we can't wait! And while all the celebrity contestants are going to be competing against each other for the glittering ball trophy at the end of the series, that hasn’t stopped them from bonding! On Monday's launch show, Susannah Constantine and the majority of the female celebrities posed for a behind-the-scenes photo at the BBC studios, which the What Not To Wear star posted on Instagram. "Here come the girls," she captioned the image. The photo featured Paralympian Lauren Steadman, news reporter Kate Silverton, singer Ashley Roberts, journalist Stacey Dooley, Capital FM presenter Vick Hope and author and philanthropist Katie Piper.
The only star missing from the photo was Steps singer Faye Tozer, who was possibly taking the picture. "What happened to Faye," one fan asked in the comments section. Others were excited to see the women bonding backstage, with one writing: "Love this pic!" while another said: "Will be glued!"
The female Strictly celebrity contestants minus Faye Tozer
Fans won't have long to wait before the first show, which returns on 8 September. Presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman will be seen rolling out the red carpet to welcome the star-studded celebrity class of 2018 as they begin their new adventure in Strictly Come Dancing: The Launch. On the big night, all the stars will make their grand entrance into the famous Strictly ballroom and discover which professional dancer they will be paired with. Once the pairings have been announced the celebrities and professionals will take to the dancefloor for the very first time for a spectacular group performance.
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The professional dancers, meanwhile, have already been in training since the beginning of the month, along with a few new additions to the team. With Brendan Cole and Chloe Hewitt no longer taking part, 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. 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."
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