Strictly Come Dancing professional Nancy Xu has admitted she was left “disappointed” after not being partnered with a celebrity contestant on this year’s series.
The BBC ballroom contest returned earlier this month, but while 14 of her fellow professionals have been paired up with celebrities in the race for the Glitterball Trophy, the 34-year-old dancer has found herself without a partner.
Her absence comes as the series has already faced disruption, with two stars – Love Island winner Dani Dyer and Game of Thrones actor Kristian Nairn – withdrawing, while Dianne Buswell’s pregnancy has also sparked questions about future routines.
According to reports in The Sun, Xu believed there might have been a “deeper issue” behind her omission. But the Chinese-born dancer has now addressed speculation directly, posting a video on Instagram to reassure fans she is “okay” despite feeling initially upset.
In the clip, Xu shared a tongue-in-cheek skit showing herself looking increasingly frazzled before returning to her usual polished self. She then thanked fans for their support, saying: “Thank you so much for all your kind and supportive messages that I’ve been receiving in the past few days. I am okay, as you all know now, I don’t have a dance partner on Strictly Come Dancing this year.”
She continued: “In the very beginning when I just received the messages it did upset me and I do feel disappointed. Coming from China and arriving in this country, all I wanted was to achieve my dream and Strictly has given me such a big platform to show my skills and talents, so of course this year I feel left out.
“But I’m good, because I’m still part of the show and this year you’ll probably hear my voice more than ever, because I’ll give all my energy to support all my Strictly family.”
Her remarks follow claims that she was “incensed” by the decision, particularly after performing strongly with singer Shayne Ward in 2024, scoring multiple nines across their eight-week run.
Xu joined Strictly in 2019 but only received her first celebrity partner in 2021, when she reached the semi-finals with CBBC presenter Rhys Stephenson. She repeated the feat with actor Will Mellor in 2022, before suffering a first-week exit with entertainer Les Dennis in 2023.
Despite missing out on a partner this year, she has remained a popular figure in the show’s Christmas specials, most recently performing alongside EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick and Gladiators athlete Harry Aikines-Aryeetey.
