As any Strictly fan will tell you, chemistry is synonymous with BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing. Whether it’s watching your favourites get up close and personal during the Rumba or spotting those moments of eye contact, it’s, to put it lightly, what Strictly thrives on.
In the past few weeks Bobby Brazier’s dance floor chemistry with his Strictly professional partner, Dianne Buswell, has become something of a hot topic. It all started last month when Bobby said in an interview that he was ‘falling in love’ with Dianne. He told The Mirror **‘**I could speak about Dianne all day. She's just a diamond - you know what, I'm falling in love with her. She's just great. I feel very lucky.'
In the following weeks, speculation has mounted, with some reports questioning whether the Strictly curse could be striking yet again, with some viewers suggesting that her relationship with Joe Sugg, who she met on the show in 2018, could be on the rocks. These rumours were furthered last month when, after closing one of the live shows, Dianne appeared to fight back tears as she spoke about how Bobby had been a ‘massive rock’ to her. ‘I hope no issue with Dianne and Joe Sugg. This show really does test relationships,’ one viewer wrote on X. Dianne later revealed in a YouTube vlog that her father was unwell, which was why she seemed deflated on the show.
Then, on last weekend’s episode, in which the pair danced the Argentinian Tango, Bobby and Diane’s faces almost touched (which would seem fairly standard for such a dance), and viewers were once again taking to social media to comment on their closeness. One user commented on a clip of the routine, which was uploaded to the Strictly Instagram account, ‘Love Dianne she’s an amazing dancer and teacher and like Bobby but it felt uncomfortable to watch for me and the end kiss was far too intense. The dance was impeccable just didn’t like how intimate it looked.’ Bobby decided to address the comment directly by replying to the user ‘Job done.’
Joe Sugg has been supportive of the pair, despite what some viewers are suggesting. After reposting the clip on Instagram, he captioned it ‘Wow Amazing!! Well done you two @diannebuswell @bobbybrazier.’ Over the weekend, the pair shared a picture of themselves together in a pool on a romantic trip away, while in October she shared pictures of them enjoying a roast together.
And yet, Joe and Dianne shouldn't have to show their relationship is in tact - and nor should Dianne and Bobby be subjected to speculation about their partnership. At the end of the day, chemistry is exactly what Strictly is about - and it's part of the, albeit very glamorous, job they are being tasked with doing. Bobby previously said he and Dianne ‘clicked straight away’ after doing a ‘chemistry test.' Dianne agreed, adding she was ‘secretly hoping’ she would be partnered with Bobby.
And they aren’t the only dancing partners to experience strong chemistry on this year’s show. During week five of the competition, Ellie Leach and her partner Vito Coppola pulled off what many fans saw as their best dance to date when they performed a Paso doble. Craig Revel Horwood said their ‘partnership is on fire’ while Anton Du Beke called the dance a ‘moment where everything is just right,’ before they were awarded a score of 37 and finished second on the leader board. Meanwhile viewers took to social media to comment on the chemistry between Nigel Harman and Katya Jones after they performed the Viennese Waltz in week two.
In 2017, Debbie McGee praised her 'great chemistry' with dance partner Giovanni Pernice, adding 'we have a great working dance partnership and we really love each other as human beings, so I can see why people want to say there's something going on.' And in 2018, Brendan Cole spoke about how he had a 'lovely chemistry' with Charlotte Hawkins.
As these pairs show, great chemistry can be just that. Of course, the Strictly curse is called the Strictly curse for a reason, but we shouldn’t be so quick to dig for more. Natural chemistry is what makes great dance partners – just look at Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, who mesmerised audiences with their routines in the 1930s. While their chemistry was undeniable, their relationship off-screen was purely platonic, and they remained close friends throughout their lives.
Alongside having a natural spark, Strictly training is notoriously intense, and it’s not uncommon for dance partners to spend over 12 hours a day perfecting performance - Strictly Series 4 winners Karen and Mark reportedly practised for up to 50 hours a week. After spending that much time up close and personal with someone, it's little wonder that chemistry (and on some occasions, love) starts to blossom.
Bobby and Dianne are undeniably brilliant under the glitter ball, constantly wowing audiences with their performances in the live shows. So instead of speculating, let's enjoy the chemistry. After all, it's part of what makes the show so brilliant.