Dianne Buswell has introduced her baby son Bowden to her fellow professional dancers at Elstree Studios, as preparations gather pace ahead of the BBC One show’s 2026 series.
The Australian dancer, who is gearing up for what will be her tenth year on the programme, shared a collection of photographs on Instagram capturing the moment her worlds of motherhood and dance came together.
With the new series due to launch in September, partner Joe Sugg brought five-month-old Bowden, affectionately known as ‘Bowie’, along to rehearsals so the little one could meet the Strictly family.
Ms Buswell revealed her pregnancy in September 2025, just before returning to the Strictly ballroom for that year’s series.
Read Also: Arthur Fery issues blame after crashing out of US Open in first round
She and Mr Sugg, the YouTube personality she first met when they were paired together on the show in 2018, welcomed their first child into the world in March this year.
Shortly after Bowden’s arrival, it was confirmed that the dancer would be back for the 2026 run.
The professional dancers reunited at the end of last month to begin working on group routines that will be filmed for use throughout the upcoming series.
On Sunday, the cast stepped back into the famous ballroom at Elstree Studios for the first time since the previous series wrapped in December.
Ms Buswell is joined in the 2026 professional lineup by Aljaz Skorjanec, Amy Dowden, Alexis Warr, Carlos Gu, Jowita Przystal, Julian Caillon, Kai Widdrington, Katya Jones, Lauren Oakley, Nancy Xu, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin and Vito Coppola.
Ms Buswell’s return comes amid a major shake-up to Strictly Come Dancing’s professional line-up ahead of the 2026 series.
Several familiar faces will be absent from the ballroom this year, including the show’s longest-serving female professional Karen Hauer, alongside Gorka Marquez, Nadiya Bychkova, Luba Mushtuk and Michelle Tsiakkas.
The overhaul follows several turbulent years for the BBC competition, which has faced a string of controversies surrounding its behind-the-scenes culture and the conduct of former professionals.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
- Boy George wades into Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s UK return row with surprise royal defence
- Liam Gallagher erupts in foul-mouthed rant as he shuts down major Oasis reunion speculation
- Jonathan Ross takes dig at Christopher Nolan as he slams ‘most boring’ film ever seen
Sources have suggested bosses were keen to give the programme a “clean slate” as it enters a new era, with a refreshed professional cast forming part of the changes.
Former Strictly professional James Jordan weighed in on the overhaul earlier this year, controversially describing the shake-up as a way of getting rid of “dead wood”.
The changes extend beyond the dancefloor, with long-standing presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman also having departed the programme.
Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe are set to usher in a new era as the show’s new presenting team when Strictly returns in September.
Among the images Ms Buswell posted was a particularly sweet snap showing Mr Radebe, whom she nicknamed ‘JoJo’, cradling baby Bowie, with fellow dancer Nancy Xu on hand.
“When Bowie meets Jo Jo and Ardo with bodyguard @nancy_xuxi,” Ms Buswell wrote alongside the photo, adding laughing and heart emojis.
Fans were quick to flood the comments with adoring responses.
“Johannes with Bowden was adorable,” wrote one follower, while another declared: “JoJo with baby Bowie is the sweetest!”
A third predicted that Bowden would be “soooo spoiled” by Dianne’s Strictly family.
“This is so cute,” added a fourth.
Our Standards:
The GB News Editorial Charter
