Strictly Come Dancing Tonight: Start Time, Songs and Dances – as Kai Widdrington Pulls Out Ill

14th November 2026

Updated 14 Nov 2026, 10:04 · First published 14 Nov 2026

Strictly Come Dancing is back tonight at 6.25pm on BBC One, with nine couples fighting for a place in next week’s Blackpool special. But there has been a late change: professional Kai Widdrington is out through illness, so Aljaž Škorjanec will dance the Argentine Tango with Delta Goodrem instead.

Strictly 2026 – week 8

Tonight

Saturday 14 November, 6.25pm, BBC One and iPlayer

Results show

Sunday 15 November, 7.15pm

Couples

9 – one more will leave on Sunday

Up for grabs

A place in Blackpool week (21 November)

Late change

Kai Widdrington ill – Aljaž Škorjanec partners Delta Goodrem

Sunday music guest

Bash Croft, singing Everything Always Now

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BBC Strictly: “Sending all our love to Kai!”

Why is Kai Widdrington not on Strictly tonight?

Kai is ill. Announcing the news, the show said: “Due to illness, Kai is unable to dance on tomorrow night’s show,” adding that everyone was sending him their love and hoped he would feel better very soon. Judges Shirley Ballas and Motsi Mabuse were among those wishing him a speedy recovery.

Rather than giving Delta a bye, Aljaž Škorjanec – who was knocked out in week 3 with Melanie Walters – will step in to dance the Argentine Tango with her. It is another setback for the Australian singer, who missed Icons Week with a rib injury before returning to score 31 in week 7.

Strictly week 8 songs and dances

Couple	Dance	Song
Cach & Maddie	Charleston	Blame It on the Boogie – The Jacksons
Dani & Nikita	Paso Doble	Everybody Wants To Rule The World – Lorde
Delta & Aljaž	Argentine Tango	Missing – Everything But The Girl
John & Katya	Jive	Pump It – Black Eyed Peas
Will & Dianne	Paso Doble	Smalltown Boy – Bronski Beat
Lacey & Vito	Foxtrot	Have You Met Miss Jones? – Robbie Williams
Tabby & Mark	Viennese Waltz	I’m with You – Avril Lavigne
Jaime & Carlos	Charleston	I Can’t Do It Alone – Catherine Zeta-Jones
Graeme & Lauren	Quickstep	Happy Days – Pratt & McClain

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BBC Strictly: what the couples are dancing to this week

Jaime Winstone is back

Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu return after she was forced to miss last week’s show with a torn abdominal muscle. They will dance a Charleston.

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Who left Strictly last week?

Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu were the sixth couple to go after losing the dance-off to Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby on Shirley Ballas’s casting vote. Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin topped the leaderboard with 36 for their American Smooth.

Sources: BBC Strictly Come Dancing; BBC One listings.