The Strictly Come Dancing pros are now household names, with their faces instantly recognisable to the show's millions of fans. But could you identify your favourite just from their childhood photos? Ahead of the semi-final this weekend, Strictly has shared a series of pictures of the dancers as children on TikTok – and while some stars are easy to identify, others are slightly harder to place. Among those featured in the collection are AJ Pritchard, Aljaz Skorjanec and his wife Janette Manrara, Karen Hauer, Giovanni Pernice, Katya and Neil Jones and Gorka Marquez. Dianne Buswell, Johannes Radebe and Oti Mabuse are also included, and the post has gone down a storm with fans, racking up more than 42,000 likes on the video-sharing site.
Little AJ is first to appear on the screen, dressed in patterned dungarees, quickly followed by Aljaz, who looks adorable in a pinstriped suit, complete with a waistcoat and bowtie. Gorka, meanwhile, can be seen posing in a football strip, while Janette is too cute in her little ballet costume. Fans of the show took to the comments section in the droves, with one writing: "They all look so tiny! Most of them look the same but Neil and Karen look so different!" A second joked, "Why did I imagine dianne to have red hair as a child?!" A number of fans did question why Anton du Beke was missing from the line-up, but one added: "I do like the way that Strictly is taking part in the trends."
MORE: Strictly star Anton du Beke shares sweetest video of his twins dancing!
The Strictly competition is really hotting up now with just four couples left in the running. Battling it out to be crowned the 2019 champion and lift the coveted Glitterball trophy are Chris Ramsay and Karen Hauer, Emma Barton and Anton du Beke, Karim Zeroual and Amy Dowden and Kelvin Fletcher and Oti Mabuse. The Strictly final will take place on 14 December – instead of the usual Sunday night results show, the winners will be announced on Saturday at the end of the programme.
MORE: Strictly star Janette Manrara announces some very exciting news!
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