I know, I'm not trying to simplify things, but I heard on the grapevine that for the last year or two the pros have been told to stay out of the limelight and make sure it's all about the celebs. Given that the BBC don't seem to care about dance ability- judging from the Hayley/Nicole fiasco- and they don't want the pros' personalities to outshine the celebs, I'm wondering what exactly they are looking for other than pretty faces!

I have been musing over this for a while. My first reaction when I read the news was ‘nooooo not another foreign, blonde, sexy dancer’. I would imagine there are many British professional dancers who would give anything to get a foot in the Strictly door, although I am sure others feel going down that route is not for them.

Katya and Natalie do seem to have everything the BBC appears to be looking for, although we will have to wait and see how their personalities fit in with the show and their celebrity partners. However, I do think that having a mix of both home grown and international professionals is good for the show.

I know the BBC wants an entertainment show but I do think it is sad that the message they seem to be getting across is that you have to be both young and sexy (with maybe a little bit of talent) to be successful. Sadly, talent alone is not sufficient these days.

Out of interest are there any British professionals in any of the other Strictly shows?

I think Lindsey Muckle has done Strictly Come Dancing in South Africa.