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Shirley Ballas has responded to fans quizzing her about a change to Strictly Come Dancing after seven years.

The show's head judge was back in the ballroom on Saturday night (September 27) alongside Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke as the first live show of the 2025 series took place.

The show saw all 15 of the new couples take to the dance floor with their first routines in their pairings, kicking off with Former England rugby player Chris Robshaw and his professional partner Nadiya Bychkova, who opened the show with a samba to EMF’s Unbelievable.

There were also celebrations in the ballroom. Former Lionesses midfielder Karen Carney became the first footballer to top the Strictly leaderboard for 18 years.

The 38-year-old and her professional partner

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