Jowita Przystal dodges Lorraine Kelly probe as BBC Strictly star reflects on 'overwhelming' show return

Ms Przystal also had fans talking for other reasons over the weekend though, with the Polish dancer understood to have been spotted kissing The Only Way Is Essex's Pete Wicks, whom she was partnered with in last year's show.

Mr King was full of praise for his Strictly co-star as the pair joined Ms Kelly on her self-titled show, telling his presenter pal about how approachable and welcoming his dance partner had been.

"She was the first professional [I met]," he announced. "She came up and she gave me a big hug, she was so lovely.

"And she also made sure that we did the last dance, you know when you do the speed dancing thing, and that was it."

He later beamed: "Can I also just say, you knew my dad, and dad would always say, 'You can judge a person by how they treat the waiter,' and this young lady is just an absolute joy.

"The crews love her, everyone loves her because she is just beautiful inside and out. She's just that lovely person, and so my dad would be like, 'How lovely.'"

Ms Kelly wasted no time in delving into the weekend rumours though, soon asking Ms Przystal about her 2024 celebrity dance partner.

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"I love Pete Wicks, he's an angel," she commented, adding: "But last year, you took someone who really couldn't dance and you made him look good! He got so far in the competition."

The Scottish host cheekily added: "I know you saw him at the weekend! And you know what, you did really well with him, you really did."

The pair are understood to have shared a romantic moment as they performed a routine on stage at London's 02 Arena during a show edition of Mr Wicks' podcast, Staying Relevant, which he fronts alongside friend Sam Thompson.

Giving nothing away, Ms Przystal replied: "Aw, thank you," before swiftly moving the conversation along.

"It's the hard work, and I think the commitment you put in, that's all that matters," she reflected.

"The celebrities come from all different backgrounds and they all have different abilities.

"That's okay, but the beauty of that show is to take someone who has no idea and no clue how to dance, and then to go out and perform. It's quite overwhelming, but also beautiful.

"To see the smile after each dance we do, to see the smile on the face, it makes me feel like I'm in the right place at the right time, and I'm doing the best job ever."

While the launch show saw 15 celebrities and dancers coupled up, many Strictly stars were left without a partner, meaning they'll only partake in the group dances this series.

Among them was Nancy Xu, who is understood to have been left "incensed" by the apparent snub.

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Touching on Ms Xu's two Christmas Special partners going on to perform in the main show, a source commented: "It's not the first time it's happened and she's said she thinks there may be some kind of deeper issue she's not aware of."

Speaking to The Sun, they went on to state that while Ms Xu "understands" she can't be partnered with someone she's already danced with, she is baffled as to why she doesn't have any partner at all.

"She is absolutely incensed by it all and has said she can't work out what she's done to make producers snub her - especially because she did so well with [Shayne Ward] last year."