Cumbria’s Strictly Come Dancing star Helen Skelton will continue performing – but without her partner in crime Gorka Marquez.
The pair wowed judges and audiences alike in the Strictly final but lost out on the winner’s title – and the Glitterball – to Hamza Yassin.
It has been announced that she will be joining the Strictly Come Dancing live tour next year – but won’t be paired with Gorka, to the dismay of fans who loved the couple’s chemistry.
Instead, she will be dancing with 27-year-old Kai Widdrington, who partnered Kaye Adams in the 2022 series.
Visiting arenas across the country, it is directed and co-choreographed by judge Craig Revel Horwood. It will run from January 20 to February 12.
Helen, who grew up in Appleby, said: “Strictly has been the adventure of a lifetime and I’m so happy that it will continue next year on the live tour.”
According to the Daily Star, Hamza will join Helen on BBC show Countryfile and according to the title, a source said: “It’s unlikely to be the only project they both get. Helen is expected to get her own vehicle based around her adventurous and bubbly personality.”
After the final, Helen said: “The man of the hour for me is Mr Gorka Marquez. I will forever be proud of how hard we worked, how we carried ourselves and how far we went. For me the reaction in that ballroom said everything we didn’t need to.
“I will forever be grateful for Gorka’s friendship and how he kept my counsel. We didn’t take the ball, but we did blow the roof off that place and that is a feeling I will never forget.”
Helen and Gorka were immensely popular with Strictly fans and grew huge fanbases during their time on the TV show.
Cumbria showed its love for the star, with Team Helen T-shirts, limited edition milk bottles, video messages of support and posters urging people to vote.
Rehearsing in Penrith, Helen and Gorka became regular faces in the town. They were regular visitors to Karen Radcliffe’s coffee stand Caffeine Rush and Costa, where the stars took pictures with fans and chatted with them about the show.
In response to the support, the star said in her column for The Telegraph: “The messages that we have had from the public have been overwhelming. It’s not lost on us that Strictly brings people together and it has been a privilege to be zoomed into people’s living rooms on a Saturday night.”
On her Radio 5 Live show, the star added that despite being happy for Hamza, all the professional dancers had been rooting for Gorka to win the competition.
She said: “Every pro on the show was desperate for him to win and that says everything about him. He’s my hero of the week.
“Obviously we’re delighted for Hamza because he put in some amazing dances through the season. But Gorka and I, our reaction, you could tell how gutted we were.”
Gorka added that he wasn’t ‘fuming’ with the result, but wanted Helen to finish the season with a cherry on top.
