Nicola Adams speaks about being in Strictly Come Dancing’s first same sex pairing

Nicola Adams has spoken out after being confirmed for Strictly Come Dancing’s same sex pairing.

Two-time Olympic boxer Nicola Adams OBE was the sixth celebrity contestant revealed for the brand new series of Strictly Come Dancing earlier today.

It has been announced she will be a part of the show’s first same sex celebrity and professional pairing, saying: “I want to thank the BBC for supporting me and making me the first ever all female-pairing; and it’s amazing to be a part of the movement for change, diversity and breaking boundaries in the entertainment industry.”

Appearing on BBC Breakfast, Nicola explained: “I think it’s really important. It’s definitely time for change.

“It’s definitely time to move on and be more diverse, and this is a brilliant step in the right direction… It will be nice for the LGBT community to be able to see there are same-sex couples on the show as well.”

Who Nicola will dance with on the show is still to be announced. She said: “I’d only be wanting somebody who’s maybe a little bit on the short side because I’m a little bit small.”

Meanwhile, Nicola revealed it was her idea to dance with another female professional.

She told the hosts: “I asked the show about it. They wanted to know if I wanted to be on the show and I said, ‘Yeah, I’ll do it, but I want to dance with another female dance partner.'”

As for her chances in the competition, Nicola admitted: “I can’t dance at all, so this is going to be a totally new challenge for me. The only thing I’ve been doing is TikToks, and that’s about as far as my dancing goes.”

Currently six celebs have been confirmed for Strictly’s line up including actress Caroline Quentin, former American footballer and broadcaster Jason Bell and The Wanted’s Max George.

Alongside Nicola, they’re joined by Good Morning Britain presenter and newsreader Ranvir Singh and Radio 1 DJ Clara Amfo.

Strictly Come Dancing 2020 is expected to start on TV in October after the BBC confirmed a shorter series.