Strictly Come Dancing’s Dianne Buswell has shared a heartfelt message as she reunited with her co-star a year on. The Australian professional dancer was partnered with Scouse comedian Chris McCausland on the 2024 series. The partnership proved to be a hit with fans and they went on to lift the iconic glitterball trophy.
The nation fell in love with the pairing, and they have since gone on to launch their own podcast together called ‘Winning Isn’t Everything’. The 47-year old became the first ever blind contestant to take part in the BBC show.
Chris and Dianne recently took home the BAFTA TV award for the most Memorable Moment of the year. Their emotional performance of a waltz to ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ had fans in tears during the series.
After the performance, the 47-year-old Scouser asked Dianne “Did I do okay?” to which the Australian professional dancer responded “I’m so proud of you”.
Following the routine, Chris and Dianne received a standing ovation from the studio audience. Head judge Shirley Ballas, who hails from Wallasey, said: “I found that extremely emotional.”
A fresh batch of famous faces are currently getting glitzed and glammed ready to step foot in the iconic ballroom for the first time later this month. Rehearsals are well under way for the 23rd series of the show and fans can’t wait to tune in.
During the opening show on September 20, the celebrities will be allocated their professional dance partners ahead of their first official routine. The Launch Show, hosted by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, will also feature a dazzling group dance where all 15 celebrities and their partners take to the floor for the first time.
Chris and Dianne will take to the dancefloor a year on from their triumphant win. The launch episode is prerecorded, and was filmed earlier this week. Dianne took to Instagram to share a photo of Chris’ dressing room door as they reunited at BBC’s Elstree Studios. She wrote: “My champ forever and always!”
In a Q and A on her Instagram stories, she reflected on reuniting with Chris on the dancefloor. She said: “It was just perfect! I adore Chris and it was a special moment can’t wait for you guys to see it on the launch show.”
Last week, Dianne shared a video alongside the Scouse comedian and captioned it: “We are back” as they were in the training room together.
She added: “Team winning isn’t everything was back for one last rehearsal.” The professional dancer and comedian kept fans updated throughout their Strictly journey with rehearsal vlogs, sharing videos playing games and answering fan questions.
After the rehearsal together, Chris told Dianne: “I feel fine. My legs don’t feel good.” Dianne jokingly replied “All he has done is complain all day.”
Chris hit back: “This isn’t me moaning, my legs are moaning at me. I am just passing on the message.” They agreed it was good to be back in a room together, with Dianne telling followers it “feels right”, before telling followers they couldn’t spill what they were working on.
Fans of the Strictly winners were pleased to see them reunited. One fan wrote: “So excited to see you perform on the launch show, it’s going to be so special.”
Another wrote: “Oh I have missed these! You two will forever be an iconic duo.” A further comment said: “Can’t wait to see what dance you do, but secretly hoping it’s your couples choice!”