Reigning Strictly Come Dancing winner Joe McFadden won’t return this year

Reigning Strictly Come Dancing winner Joe McFadden won’t return to this year’s launch show, it’s been confirmed.

Joe won Strictly last year with pro partner Katya Jones, but won’t be back for the traditional winner’s dance to start the new season.

Sources claim that Joe was unhappy with the dance selected to be performed, but he blamed ” other commitments” for not being able to take part.

An insider told the Daily Mirror newspaper: “Every year, the winner is invited back to perform a standout routine – for Ore Oduba that was his jive, Jay McGuiness did his Pulp Fiction jive, and Caroline Flack came back to salsa again.

“Joe didn’t want to do the dance selected but they wouldn’t let him do something else. It’s a shame.”

But Joe tweeted to say himself: “To the people asking if I’m performing in the Strictly launch show, unfortunately I can’t due to other commitments and hopefully I’ll be there at a later date ?”

A spokesperson for the BBC said: “Sadly Joe isn’t able to perform.”

The Strictly Come Dancing 2018 launch has been confirmed for Saturday, September 8 between 7:35PM and 9PM.

As always, the launch show will be introducing us to the celebrities and pro dancers and seeing them paired up.

Strictly will open with a spectacular red carpet event as the Strictly family dance to a medley of Nile Rodgers’ greatest hits performed by Chic and the man himself. Later in the show Craig David and Stefflon Don will join Nile and Chic to perform their new single.

The live shows will begin a couple of weeks later, confirmed to start on Saturday, September 22. They’ll run on Saturday nights through until December 15.

Strictly will also be going back to Blackpool, airing on Saturday, 17 November.