Scott Mills Confirms What Strictly Fans Have Long Suspected About Pre-Recorded Launch Shows

Former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Scott Mills has admitted that some of the show’s professionals are not nearly as happy as they let on when they find out their celebrity partners.

Every year, Strictly begins with a pre-recorded launch show in which viewers discover which professional dancer each of the celebrity amateurs have been paired with.

Until recently, the celebs and pros would find out they’d been partnered up in the Strictly studio, which was always met with an enthusiastic and energetic celebration from both parties.

However, as many fans have long suspected, Scott disclosed during a recent conversation on BBC Radio 5 Live that some pros are actually happier than others when the cameras stop rolling.

“On my series there were some dancers who weren’t happy with their celebrities,” he revealed (via The Mirror). “But it was never seen on screen.”

Scott’s co-host Chris Stark then responded: “One of the things that gets me is when the contestant meets the dancer for the first time and they both have to pretend that they would have chosen each other.”

“The chances that every contestant has been linked with exactly the right dancer and that dancer has been linked with exactly the right contestant is mind-boggling. You’ve got more chance of winning the lottery – it’s the lying, going, ‘You are exactly who I wanted’.”

Scott took part in Strictly back in 2014, where he was partnered with Joanne Clifton, eventually becoming the fifth pair to leave the show.

This year’s Strictly launch was filmed last week, and was supposed to air on Saturday night on BBC One.

However, following changes to the BBC schedule following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, it’s now been widely speculated that the Strictly launch will be postponed.