After dancing day in, day out as part of the spectacle that is Strictly Come Dancing, the celebrities and dancers were probably looking forward to a well-deserved soirée after the show finished. But according to new reports, the wrap party, set to happen after the final in Elstree Studios next week, has now been cancelled over fears about the new Covid variant, Omicron.
'Everyone will be gutted as it’s been such a long and painful series in many ways. There’s been injuries, Covid scares and intense competition,' a source told The Sun. 'Everyone was looking forward to letting their hair down and celebrating what’s been a closely-fought race. It would have also been the first time many of them have been back in the same room since launch.'
(Well, at least the Strictly cast are being more careful than the UK government when it comes to cancelling Christmas parties!)
The party precaution comes after Strictly bosses recently made a huge change to the rules, meaning that contestants will now be instantly eliminated if they catch Covid. (Up until now celebrities who have caught the virus have been given a week’s grace to recover and then return to the show, such as McFly's Tom Fletcher and comedian Judi Love.) According to sources, this means the remaining contestants on the show have been told to 'tighten their bubbles' to try and avoid catching the virus.
And. as the final approaches, bets are in for the 2021 mirrorball champion. For weeks fan-favourite's Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice have been predicted as the winners, after their many memorable dance routines - including the amazing moment they paid tribute to the deaf community, which some fans hailed as the best Strictly moment ever. According to Betfair, in second place will be AJ Odudu and her partner Kai Widdrington. In the third place spot will be John Whaite and Johannes Radebe. And just missing out on the top 3 spot will supposedly be Rhys Stepherson and his partner Nancy Xu.
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READ MORE: AJ Odudu: 'Strictly Come Dancing Is So Surreal, I Feel Like I've Literally Stepped Inside The Telly'