Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special: Lee Ryan and Simon Webbe reveal guest appearance with Blue
All Rise!Strictly Come Dancing is bringing back two familiar faces for its Christmas Special – with Blue stars Lee Ryan and Simon Webbe heading back to the ballroom.
The singers both competed on the BBC show in different years. But this time they’re returning together as part of a group performance. It also marks the first time all four members of Blue – Lee, Simon, Antony Costa and Duncan James – will appear in the Strictly studio at the same time.
However, fans shouldn’t expect to see them battling it out on the dancefloor. Instead, Blue have been confirmed as guest performers for the festive episode.
Blue revealed as guest appearance on Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special
The band’s involvement was revealed on It Takes Two, where viewers were given a sneak peek of the Christmas Special, which airs on December 25.
Host Fleur East teased the reveal as she introduced a behind-the-scenes montage. She told viewers: “All rise! Because there is a very special guest performance too.”
Antony admitted it was a big moment, saying: “It feels amazing to be in the Strictly ballroom – I’ve never been here before!”
Duncan agreed, adding: “I haven’t either,” before gesturing towards Lee and Simon and joking: “But you two know it!”
“Feels like home,” Simon laughed, while Lee confessed: “I was only here a little bit, though,” referencing his brief stint on the show.
Duncan couldn’t resist another joke, saying: “You’ve got a member of Westlife, you’ve got a member of All Saints – the pressure is on.”
The behind-the-scenes clips also showed the studio being transformed for Christmas. Unlike the weekly live shows, the festive special is pre-recorded.
Lee Ryan’s time on Strictly
Lee Ryan signed up for Strictly Come Dancing back in 2018 for the 16th series and was partnered up with Nadiya Bychkova.
Unfortunately, he only lasted a few weeks. He was eliminated on the third weekend.
Lee went up against Charles Venn in a dance off and was ultimately sent home.
But he wasn’t the only member of Blue to take part. He was inspired by fellow bandmate Simon Webbe’s attempt years before during Series 12.
Simon teamed up with Kristina Rihanoff and did much better than Lee. He reached the final back in 2014. However, he never managed to take home the Gliterball trophy, coming out as runner up against Frankie Bridge.
Strictly pro convinced George Clarke will win Glitterball trophy
While attention is already turning to Christmas, the current Strictly series hasn’t even wrapped up yet, with the final airing this weekend.
Former pro Brendan Cole has already shared his verdict on the series. He claims it hasn’t lived up to expectations.
Speaking to our sister site Entertainment Daily on behalf of Sky Vegas, he said many contestants were “pretty average”.
Brendan insisted that Emmerdale star Lewis Cope and Katya Jones “should have won the whole show, hands down”.
Despite that, Brendan believes the outcome is already clear. He predicts that George will win due to his strong fanbase – while insisting Amber is the strongest dancer left in the competition.
Read more: Strictly star Karen Carney in ‘meltdown’ following emotional waltz: ‘Her response was to hide’
