Shirley Ballas reveals which celebrity has impressed her the most on Strictly Come Dancing 2026

Strictly Come Dancing has been lighting up the nation's Saturday nights since its return last week, with each week a new celebrity finding themselves at the top of the leaderboard and impressing the judges.

But for one celebrity, they have continued to leave a lasting impression on head judge Shirley Ballas, as they step out onto the dancefloor each weekend.

"Every week somebody is in the bottom two has been different. The top of the leaderboard keeps changing, but I am a little bit in awe of Graeme because I watch him training the dogs, and then to watch him be trained as a dancer with so much discipline is quite captivating for me," Ballas told Radio Times at the Pride of Britain Awards.

Last Saturday, Graeme and his partner Lauren Oakley found themselves ninth on the leaderboard, though with a respectable 28 points as the competition begins to heat up.

Graeme, best known as The Dogfather, first began dancing at a charity event in 2012 and said it was a "dream come true" to be on Strictly after a stroke made him think he'd never be able to dance again, having given it up in 2019.

"Well, there's competitions and there's competitions, right?" Graeme previously told Radio Times. "I'd got involved in a charity event in 2012, and then I carried on dancing as a hobby. And I did some beginner and novice competitions, in village halls and all that round the country."

Along with a new cohort of celebrities, Strictly has had quite the makeover this year, with the introduction of three new hosts, who Ballas says she has "gotten on very well with".

She told Radio Times: "I knew Emma [Willis] when I did Cooking With The Stars. Josh [Widdicombe] is just an absolute gentleman, and what can I say about JoJo [Johannes Radebe] as he's just the best.

"So with the new hosts, we've had a blast, and of course, the even playing field with all the celebrities. And of course, our fantastic professionals who do an amazing job. The whole thing has just been delightful."

Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday 24 October at 6:30pm on BBC One and iPlayer.

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Authors

Katelyn Mensah is the Senior Entertainment Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.