Strictly Come Dancing have announced some exciting news! The show has welcomed a new professional dancer to their team - Nancy Xu. Sharing the news on Twitter on Tuesday morning, the BBC show revealed: "We've got a new #Strictly pro-dancer. Meet Nancy Xu!" The news also coincides with the pro dancer's 28th birthday, with the message continuing: "Happy Birthday Nancy and welcome to the show!"
Sharing her own delight at the prospect of joining Strictly, Nancy said in a statement: "I'm thrilled and excited! I cannot wait to start this new journey with all these amazing people and share the magic together. Thank you so much Strictly for one of the most beautiful birthday gifts ever, thank you for making my dream come true!"
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Nancy joins AJ Pritchard, Aljaž Škorjanec, Amy Dowden, Anton du Beke, Dianne Buswell, Giovanni Pernice, Gorka Marquez, Graziano Di Prima, Janette Manrara, Johannes Radebe, Karen Hauer, Katya Jones, Kevin Clifton, Luba Mushtuk, Nadiya Bychkova, Neil Jones and Oti Mabuse, as they begin pro dancer rehearsals ahead of the new series in the autumn.
Nancy, from China, was a finalist on So You Think You Can Dance in her home country and a dancer on hit West End and Broadway show Burn The Floor. A specialist in Latin, Nancy was a finalist in the U21 World Championships in 2010, took third place in the 2010-2012 CBDF National Amateur Latin Championships and was a runner up at the 2013 International Singapore Championships.
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The news comes shortly after show bosses confirmed Motsi Mabuse will be taking over Darcey Bussell as Strictly judge. The South African-born German Latin Champion and South African Champion is the sister of Strictly dancer Oti. Of her new role, Motsi said: "I am absolutely overjoyed to be joining the Strictly judging panel. I have so much respect and admiration for the other three judges and hope to add my own bit of sparkle to the show. I can't wait to get started."
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