Jamie Laing is feeling all kinds of emotions ahead of Strictly Come Dancing’s new series, but he admits the overriding feeling he has is ‘jealousy’.
The Made In Chelsea star, 32, competed on last year’s series of the BBC dance competition where he was paired up with dancer Karen Hauer.
Jamie was due to take part in Strictly in 2019 but was forced to pull out after sustaining an injury, pushing back his appearance by a year.
He and Karen reached the final in 2020 and as she gears up to join a new partner this time round, Jamie has confessed he feels like a ‘jealous boyfriend’.
Appearing on Lorraine on Thursday morning, the reality star revealed that he’s ‘furious’ with Karen for not phoning or texting him ahead of Strictly’s new series launching this weekend.
Like us, Jamie is desperate to know which celebrity Karen will be dancing with, as the show’s pairings are set to be revealed during Saturday night’s launch show.
‘I’m furious,’ he told host Lorraine Kelly. ‘She hasn’t phone me, she hasn’t told me, she hasn’t texted me.’
He confessed: ‘I’ll be jealous, I’ll be like a jealous boyfriend at home watching her dance. She’s incredible.’
Reflecting on his time on the much-loved series, Jamie said: ‘It was the most incredible thing in the world. I’m so jealous of everyone doing it this year.’
Asked if he had any advice for this year’s contestants, Jamie teased: ‘Don’t think you’re better than you are – honestly, that’s what I thought.
‘Prepare for the shock of your life… it’s one of the scariest things, but be resilient.’
Strictly will see a brand new host of stars take to the dance floor this series, including BBC Breakfast’s Dan Walker, Judi Love, Greg Wise,Tilly Ramsay and presenter AJ Odudu.
However, reports claim the show has been thrown into chaos just days before its launch as a professional dancer has tested positive for Covid-19.
The unidentified pro is now in isolation for 10 days. It’s claimed they had already been matched with a celebrity contestant, who reportedly tested negative for the virus.
‘This is proving to be a nightmare for producers, just as they prepare to bring back Strictly for its first full series since the pandemic,’ an insider claimed.
‘It means that Strictly viewers are likely to watch the pro paired with their celeb, then they could be separated by the time the first live show begins,’ they told The Sun.
A Strictly spokesperson, meanwhile, assured Metro.co.uk that the positive test result hasn’t affected Saturday’s launch.
‘A professional dancer has tested positive for Covid-19 however this didn’t affect the recording of the launch show which airs this Saturday,’ they revealed in a statement.
‘We are following government guidelines to ensure the safety of all on the show.’
It’s said that the positive result may not mean the professional dancer will have to quit the series, as they could return after their isolation period.
Strictly Come Dancing returns Saturday 18 September at 7.30pm on BBC One, while Lorraine airs weekdays from 9am on ITV.
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