Rachel Zegler is set to bring her acclaimed West End portrayal of Eva Perón to the Strictly Come Dancing ballroom later this month.
The BBC has confirmed that the West Side Story star will perform Don’t Cry For Me Argentina during the results show on October 26, marking Icons Week. She will be joined by two of Strictly’s professional dancers for the special musical performance.
The appearance follows last weekend’s Musicals Week, which featured Wicked: For Good star Cynthia Erivo as a guest mentor. The Oscar-nominated actress joined the judging panel to offer feedback to contestants and delighted the audience when she briefly broke into song during the live broadcast.
Zegler, 24, recently concluded her critically acclaimed run in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita at the London Palladium, where her performances drew huge crowds and viral attention.
Her rendition of the show’s signature number, Don’t Cry For Me Argentina, sung from the theatre’s balcony, made headlines — both for its emotional delivery and because some theatre-goers felt it was unfair to those who had paid premium prices to watch from inside the venue.
Despite the mixed reaction, the moment helped cement Zegler’s status as one of the most exciting young performers in musical theatre, praised for her powerhouse vocals and emotional intensity.
Although she has previously appeared on The One Show and is due to chat with Graham Norton on Friday, 24 October, this will mark Zegler’s first live UK television performance.
Born in New Jersey, the rising star first shot to fame after being hand-picked by Steven Spielberg from over 30,000 hopefuls to play María in his 2021 remake of West Side Story — a performance that earned her global acclaim and a Golden Globe.
She has since gone on to star in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023), Disney’s upcoming live-action Snow White (2024), and a Broadway adaptation of Romeo + Juliet opposite Heartstopper’s Kit Connor.
The BBC dance show continues this weekend with Emmerdale actor Lewis Cope aiming to top the leaderboard for a second consecutive week.
The professional dancers will also pay tribute to Britney Spears, performing a high-energy group number celebrating the pop icon’s many eras and signature looks.
So far this seeiwa, Thomas Skinner and Ross King have been eliminated, leaving the competition wide open as the remaining celebrities prepare to dance for survival.
