Nicola Adams will dance with a woman. For a show that crafted its identity out of camp, this same-sex pairing is long overdue
The format of
Strictly Come Dancing has remained unchanged since 2004, when the programme first foxtrotted into Britain’s living rooms. Civilian celebrities are paired off with professional dancers of the opposite gender and compete weekly for the judges’ scores and the hearts – and votes – of the nation. A theatrical dancing competition on steroids, Strictly trades in camp. Yet it’s taken the
BBC 17 seasons to fling open the doors of its overstuffed costume closet and openly embrace the LGBTQ+ community.
This year, Nicola Adams, the two-time Olympic
boxing champion, will be dancing with another woman in the show’s first same-sex pairing. Writing as a bisexual woman, it’s exciting to see another bisexual woman – a Black, butch, bisexual ex-boxer at that – representing
Women who date, love, and dance with women, on prime-time television.