Will Best says the Dani Dyer Strictly chat has already started, but he is still holding back. The 41-year-old presenter said he is a bit of a lurker in the cast WhatsApp group and worries about speaking up around a cast of 15 celebrities.
“I’m a bit of a lurker. I get nervous about chiming in on WhatsApp groups with loads of people. In real life, you can't shut me up, but something about those WhatsApp groups… I hope people don't think that I’m aloof. I’m enjoying the banter. I’m just yet to really dive into it,” he said.
15 celebrities in the group
The group already includes Dani Dyer, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Lacey Turner, giving the cast an early off-camera channel before the live competition settles in. Best also singled out Jaime Winstone as the source of the best memes, adding that “she’s hilarious, she’s full of energy.”
That mix matters because the chat is doing more than passing time. It is setting the tone for how the cast talks before they are put in front of cameras, and Best’s hesitation shows he is reading the room before he starts leading it.
Chris Appleton and National Television Awards
Best said Chris Appleton “gives the best hugs” and lifted his spirits on the day of the National Television Awards. He recalled being “so tired” and “stressing” while preparing for Strictly and working breakfast radio, then said Appleton could sense it and told him, “Will, you’ve got this. You’re busy because you’re great. You can do it.”
He was speaking from Elstree Studios during Strictly photoshoots and press, where the show’s off-screen routine was already colliding with his day job schedule. Best said he was waking up at the crack of dawn for his Hits Radio Breakfast Show slot while also preparing for Strictly, a pace that leaves little room for a bad group-chat message.
6am starts on weekdays
Best said he will keep co-hosting the Hits Radio Breakfast Show from 6am on weekdays while appearing on Strictly, and he will also continue fronting ITV’s Big Brother. That makes his hesitation in the WhatsApp group more understandable: he is joining a 15-person cast conversation while juggling two other presenting jobs and the start of a live competition.
The practical read is simple. Best does not need to dominate the chat to stay in the mix; he needs to avoid looking detached while the group is still forming its habits. The safer move is the one he has already chosen — listen first, post once the tone is clear, and let the banter build before he steps in.
