Strictly star Shaun Wright-Phillips dealt huge blow just hours before show launch
It's not looking goodShaun Wright-Phillips has received an ominous prediction just hours before Strictly Come Dancing 2026 launches.
The footballer is set to make his debut on the show tonight (Saturday, September 19) along with 14 other celebrities.
Shaun Wright-Phillips to be first out in Strictly Come Dancing simulation
British Gambler’s supercomputer gives the former England footballer just a 0.1 per cent chance of winning.
The analysis suggests he could become the first celebrity eliminated.
The verdict lands as Strictly Come Dancing’s 2026 cast prepares to discover their professional partners. That pairing decision could quickly change every contestant’s prospects. Shaun’s sporting pedigree brought little advantage in this particular calculation.
Speaking before the series, Shaun acknowledged that ballroom dancing would push him beyond familiar territory. He said: “Dancing is in my blood—but mainly at family events!”
The footballer’s enthusiasm now sits against the model’s bleak opening assessment.
Dani Dyer emerges as favourite
Dani Dyer is the model’s clear favourite for the Glitterball Trophy. She won 24.8 per cent of the 1,000 simulated series, giving her almost one victory in four.
That result places her comfortably ahead of the other named leading contender, Lawrence Robb.
Her return to Strictly Come Dancing follows an ankle fracture that forced her out before last year’s live competition. Before leaving, Dani had trained with professional dancer Nikita Kuzmin.
The model treated that rehearsal experience as a significant advantage over celebrities entering the ballroom without it. Alex Kostin, a spokesperson for British Gambler, said the training gave Dani a head start.
He also pointed to her wider competitive experience as another factor within the model.
Lawrence Robb emerges as Dani Dyer’s main rival
Lawrence Robb emerged as Dani’s closest challenger after winning 17.1 per cent of the simulated competitions. The Emmerdale actor’s previous dance training contributed to his strong position.
Kostin said his experience across different disciplines helped explain why the model ranked him highly. Tabby Stoecker and Cach Mercer also stood out during the assessment, according to Kostin.
How the Strictly Come Dancing model worked
British Gambler ran the current celebrity line-up through 1,000 simulated series before Saturday’s launch. The system considered athletic backgrounds, dance training, previous performance experience, entertainment profiles and current winner odds.
Those ingredients produced a numerical favourite, but the company stressed that Strictly remains difficult to call. Kostin also highlighted the limits of any pre-series prediction.
“Strictly is notoriously difficult to predict because the professional pairing, choreography, music, and public vote can completely change the picture.”
The 0.1 per cent figure should therefore be read as a modelling result, not an elimination notice. Shaun still has the chance to overturn that gloomy forecast on the dancefloor.
Strictly airs tonight (Saturday, September 19) from 7.25pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI technology to synthesise source reporting and structured data. It has been reviewed, edited, and fact-checked by our human editorial team before publication.
