The wait is finally over! BBC News announced its dance series, "Strictly Come Dancing" will debut its first same-sex dance partner after lesbian Olympic Boxer Nicola Adams was revealed in their 2020 lineup on Thursday.
Nicola Adams spoke with BBC News and she can't wait to replace those boxing gloves for dancing shoes.
" I'm thrilled to be part of something that holds such a special place in so many people’s hearts. People might know me from my work in the ring, but I’ll be every bit as passionate and dedicated on the dancefloor too. I also wanted to thank the BBC for supporting me and making me the first ever all female-pairing; and it’s amazing to be a part of the movement for change, diversity and breaking boundaries in the entertainment industry.
Before becoming the 6th contestant of "Strictly Come Dancing", Nicola Adams was the first amateur boxer to win a gold medal in London 2012 and a double Olympic champion after her second gold medal win in Rio 2016. She is also the first boxer in history to retain an Olympic title. Then in 2016 Adams won the World Amateur Champion where she became the first female boxer to have won every major title including; Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth. She recently retired from boxing with an undefeated record and held the WBO female flyweight title in 2019, stated by BBC breakfast Interview
The U.K 17 season dance series has had a great amount of LGBT dancers who have competed in the show over the years. In 2018 contestants Graziano Di Prima and Johannes Radebe took to the dance floor performing to Emile Sande's "Shine Together" as two gay lovers. After the show, Di Prima expressed on Twitter that “REPRESENTATION always matters”, saying how it was an “unforgettable moment.”
In 2019 all the Strictly pro-dancers performed a routine to Imagine Dragons' "Believer" where two lesbian women danced together for the opening number. The choreography and connection between the couple proved that LGBT partners were just as entertaining as any other number. Now in 2020 fans fought for more than one routine and an actual same- sex partnership for the complete duration and won.
Two judges of "Dancing With The Stars" Ireland, commented on Strictly’s decision during an interview saying how they thought it was time for the show to include same-sex pairings.
Now the real question is who will be the lucky woman dancing alongside 37-year-old Nicola Adams? The lineup also included female contestants Katya Jones, 31, Oti Mabuse, 37, Janette Manrara, 36, and Karen Hauer, 38. According to a report in The Sun newspaper, the series will launch on October 24 of this year and run for nine weeks. I guess the wait isn't over just yet.