Entertainment

Strictly stars in high spirits at Blackpool Tower

The remaining eight celebrities rocked up for a busy day ahead of Saturday’s all-important Blackpool Week live show.
The remaining eight celebrities rocked up for a busy day ahead of Saturday’s all-important Blackpool Week live show. The remaining eight celebrities rocked up for a busy day ahead of Saturday’s all-important Blackpool Week live show.

Strictly Come Dancing’s Gemma Atkinson and Aljaz Skorjanec were in a fun mood as they arrived at Blackpool Tower wearing brightly-coloured novelty sunglasses.

The soap actress and her professional partner were joined in the popular seaside resort by their Strictly co-stars ahead of this weekend’s Blackpool Week special.

The episode is one of the highlights of the BBC One dancing show every year, and is a milestone moment the celebrities aim for.

Strictly Come Dancing 2017
Strictly Come Dancing 2017
Alexandra Burke and Gorka Marquez (Peter Byrne/PA)

Singer Alexandra Burke looked cheerful as she turned up alongside professional partner Gorka Marquez, as did Saturdays star Mollie King and partner AJ Pritchard.

Strictly Come Dancing 2017
Strictly Come Dancing 2017
Mollie King and AJ Pritchard (Peter Byrne/PA)

Broadcaster Debbie McGee revealed her affection for the northern city with a printed “I (heart) BPL” bag as she arrived for rehearsals.

Strictly Come Dancing 2017
Strictly Come Dancing 2017
Debbie McGee (Peter Byrne/PA)

The remaining four stars to make it through are Jonnie Peacock, Joe McFadden, Susan Calman and Davood Ghadami.

Skorjanec took to Twitter to share a video of Atkinson as she made her way into the world-famous venue for the first time.

The actress and radio presenter admitted she was “nervous”, but was stunned as she entered the ballroom.

“We’re going to dance in here,” she said, adding that it is a “magical” place.

Saturday night’s Blackpool extravaganza will see Atkinson and Skorjanec dance an American Smooth to Downtown by Petula Clark.

Strictly Come Dancing 2017
Strictly Come Dancing 2017
Susan Calman and Kevin Clifton (Peter Byrne/PA)

McGee and partner Giovanni Pernice are to attempt a samba to a Spice Girls medley, while Burke and Marquez are set to do a quickstep to The Gold Diggers’ Song (We’re In The Money) from musical 42nd Street.

After beating Ruth Langsford and Anton Du Beke in last week’s dance-off, Peacock and his partner, Oti Mabuse, will tango to Eurythmics’ Sweet Dreams.

Calman and partner Kevin Clifton will be doing a paso doble to a track from the film Strictly Ballroom, while Ghadami and Nadiya Bychkova will take on the same dance, but to Paul McCartney and Wings’ Live And Let Die.

Strictly Come Dancing 2017
Strictly Come Dancing 2017
Aljaz Skorjanec and Gemma Atkinson arriving at Blackpool’s Tower Ballroom (Peter Byrne/PA)

King and Pritchard will perform a Charleston to Little Mix’s Wings, and McFadden and Katya Jones will salsa to 1990s dance hit Ride On Time by Black Box.

:: Strictly Come Dancing’s Blackpool Week special airs on BBC One at 6.45pm on Saturday November 18.