Strictly fans claim to know ‘the truth’ about why Kai Widdrington was ‘cheated on’ and lost his celebrity partner

Strictly Come Dancing fans have declared they know the “real reason” why Kai Widdrington was not paired with a celebrity partner this year.

It was revealed during Saturday’s launch show that the dancer, who was paired with Angela Rippon for the 2023 race and arrived in Blackpool, will be “benched”.

Also missing out on a performance by a celebrity couple will be professional dancers Carlos Gu and Lauren Oakley, who will only participate in group numbers.

But after the first show, Strictly fans believe the decision may have been down to her professional partner Neil Jones.

Despite appearing on the show since 2016, Neil, 41, became famous for rarely finding a partner.and fans now believe Kai was sidelined to give Neil his time to shine as this could be his last series.

Many believe it may be down to his professional partner Neil Jones, who has been paired with 80s legend Toya Wilcox.

On Digital Spy’s forum dedicated to the dance show, fans theorised: ‘I think this could be Neil’s swansong if the BBC can manage to sack the professionals.

“I said one possible reason they gave him a partner this year is to fire him. Unless he was already thinking about leaving.”

“It’s a shame to see Kai and Lauren on the sidelines – maybe they just didn’t get on with the celebrity side of things? I’m not surprised they paired Neil with Toyah as she seems to want to go down the comedy route and Neil could work for that.”

This comes after Kai spoke about his time on the show earlier this week.

He told the Daily Star:Everyone wants to be famous. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to be famous in this series. Two guys didn’t get to be famous in this series and unfortunately, I’m one of them.

‘Some of us just can’t find a partner and that’s just the way it is.

“We’ll see what happens next year. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get one then.”

This year, only six women will compete against nine men, a first in the show’s history.

Although Kai is a fan favourite and came to Blackpool with TV legend Angela Rippon, 78, he will only be appearing in group numbers this year (he is pictured with Angela, who showed off her incredible flexibility as she stretched her leg over her head during her first live performance).

Fans now believe Kai was sidelined to give Neil his moment to shine as this could be his last series, while others believe he was “better suited” for Toya.

Some theorized that Toyah seemed to want to pursue the comedy path and felt Neil would be better suited for that.

Taking to Digital Spy’s forum dedicated to the dance show, some fans expressed their thoughts on why Kai had been “snubbed”.

Earlier this week, Kai spoke about the show that launched on Saturday, explaining that two boys couldn’t be a couple in this series and that unfortunately, he was one of them.

This year, only six women will compete against nine men, a first in the show’s history.

The mostly male line-up comes after a series of harassment allegations after Amanda Abbington and Zara McDermott spoke out about their experiences in rehearsals.

This year, Giovanni Pernice33, and Graziano Di Prima were on the receiving end of accusations of mistreating their famous dance partners.

Giovanni has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, while Graziano, 30, initially confirmed and regretted his actions against Zara.

The identities of the contestants who will compete in series 22 of Strictly, which begins in September, were revealed on 5 August.

This comes after it was confirmed that a verdict on the Giovanni-Amanda Abbington feud is expected to be announced within days.

The Strictly scandal broke out when Sherlock actress Amanda left the show in 2023.

She claimed that her dance partner, Giovanni, was abusive to her, which led to her leaving the show later.

In July, Graziano was sacked, accused of “kicking” his famous dance partner, Love Island star Zara McDermott, during their time together.

STRICTLY 2024 LINEUP

Chris McCausland

Age: 46

Profession: Comedian

Chris says: “If anyone is thinking, ‘How the hell is he going to do that?’ rest assured, I’m thinking exactly the same thing.”

Dr. Punam Krishan

Age: unknown

Profession: Family doctor and announcer

Punam says: ‘I’ve watched Strictly every year and it feels even more special that it’s the 20th year, I can’t believe it’s me who’s going to be on Strictly.’

Willcox Toy Store

Age: 66

Profession: Singer, actor, presenter

Toyah says: “I’m so excited and I love this show. Being a part of it, the spray tan and the glow. It’s a landmark year for me. I came in as a retiree, went to Glasto and now I’m spray tanning.”

Pete Wicks

Age: 36

Profession: Reality star

Pete says: “Dancing live in front of the whole country every Saturday? Absolutely terrifying.”

Shayne Neighborhood

Age: 39

Profession: Actor and singer

Shayne says: ‘I’m no stranger to live television, but dancing Latin and ballroom in front of millions of people is a whole new level.’

Tom Dean

Age: 24

Profession: Olympic medal-winning swimmer

Tom says: “I can now officially talk about how excited I am to embark on something new, meet brilliant people and start dancing.”

Nick Knowles

Age: 61

Profession: TV presenter

Nick says, ‘I’m going for it. I’m going to give it 100 percent!’

Montell Douglas

Age: 38

Profession: Former Olympian for Team GB and current gladiator

Montell says: ‘I hope some of my Gladiator moves come in handy with the Tango or Paso Doble!’

JB Gill

Age: 37

Profession: Singer

JB says: “A lot of ballroom dance styles are very foreign to me. I didn’t do those dances as a kid. I’m not a professional dancer.”

Wynne Evans

Age: 52

Profession: Opera singer, presenter

Wynne says: ‘The things that make me nervous are the ones that involve jumping, I don’t really want to do the jive, I get nervous about that.

Tasha Ghouri

Age: 25

Profession: Model and reality star

Tasha says: ‘I’ve been watching the show since I was little, it’s a Ghouri family favourite so this is totally a dream come true.’

Sarah Hadland

Age: 53

Profession: Actress

Sarah says: ‘I’m particularly excited to be part of such an iconic show in its 20th year.’

Jamie Borthwick

Age: 30

Profession: EastEnders star

Jamie says: ‘I had a blast making the Christmas special, so when I was asked to take part, the easiest answer was ‘yes!’

Sam Quek

Age: 35

Profession: Former Great Britain hockey player and presenter

Sam says: “I’m so relieved that it’s out now. I’ve found it hard to keep a secret! Rumours were spreading and I had to lie. I’m used to dancing on a girls’ night out but I’m going to give it my all.”

Pablo Merson

Age: 56

Profession: Former footballer

Paul says: ‘I won’t worry until it starts, but when it does start I’ll be nervous. I’ve only danced three times in my life!’