Harry Aikines-Aryeetey moved to tears during first Strictly live show of 2025

Former Olympian and Gladiator Harry Aikines-Aryeetey was moved to tears during Strictly Come Dancing’s first live show of 2025.

After performing the cha cha to Salt-N-Pepa’s Push It with professional partner Karen Hauer on Saturday’s edition of the BBC dancing show, scoring 19, Aikines-Aryeetey said he had been dreaming of the dance having suffered an injury last year.

Following the dance, the 37-year-old said: “I’ve dreamt of that moment, this time last year I just wasn’t able to do anything like that, and I never thought I’d be myself again, it just feels so nice to be myself, I had an injury.

“I dreamt of that moment, and even though I did Christmas I wasn’t 100% there and now I’m 100% so I’m thankful.”

After giving his comments, judge Anton Du Beke jumped on top of Aikines-Aryeetey as he replicated the push up from the dance with the judge stood on top, prompting laughter in the audience.

Former England rugby player Chris Robshaw and his professional partner Nadiya Bychkova opened the show with a samba to EMF’s Unbelievable, scoring just 14, while Bychkova joked the dance was the “scrumba” now.

Judge Shirley Ballas told the pair: “Well, I was quite impressed when you came down, that you didn’t look nervous, and I think that you’ve got the actual frame, probably, of a ballroom dancer as well.

“So we’ve got some good ingredients in the bag for sure. There was some timing issues, a little bit for me, along the way here, some timing issues, I’m sure that you know, a little bit on the flat feet.

“So we have a competition, got plenty of time to go.”

Neighbours actor Stefan Dennis and last year’s Strictly champion professional dancer Dianne Buswell, who won with comedian Chris McCausland, scored 22 for their foxtrot to the Neighbours theme tune, despite judge Craig Revel Horwood saying it was “littered with mistakes”.

Model Ellie Goldstein, who is the first person with Down’s syndrome to compete on the main series of Strictly, and her partner Vito Coppola performed the cha cha to Yes, And? by Ariana Grande, scoring 17, with Ballas gifting Goldstein a fan after the performance.

After the dance, which it was revealed took place on Coppola’s birthday, Revel Horwood told Goldstein: “You do possess gorgeous, natural rhythm, and I love the detail in your fingers and hands darling.”

Elsewhere, Doctor Who actress Alex Kingston and partner Johannes Radebe scored 21 for their waltz to Justin Timberlake’s Cry Me A River, which was described as “super duper” by Du Beke.

At the start of the show, presenters Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly welcomed former Love Island winner Amber Davies to the series, as the replacement for fellow former Love Island winner Dani Dyer-Bowen, who was forced to leave after fracturing her ankle in a fall during rehearsals.

Winkleman said: “Dani, we will miss you so much, and all of us are sending you all our love.”

There will be no results show on Sunday, with all of the contestants remaining for next Saturday’s episode, with the judges’ scores from this week rolling over to next week.