Strictly Christmas Special Format Changes arrive with six celebrities returning to the ballroom for the first time in seven years. The Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special 2026 will use an all-returning line-up, with each star paired to a professional dancer and set to perform a brand new festive-themed routine.
Scarlett Moffatt and Vito Coppola
Scarlett Moffatt set the current benchmark in 2025, when she was crowned the Christmas champion alongside Vito Coppola after a perfect score of 40 for their festive Cha Cha Cha. That result gives the 2026 special a clear reference point: the show is not just recycling familiar names, it is leaning on the memory of a near-flawless winner to sell the format shift.
Six returning celebrities is the clearest break from the usual festive setup. Instead of introducing a fresh mix of names, the special is built around familiarity from previous series, and that means the audience is being asked to compare past performances with new routines rather than meeting an entirely new cast.
One and iPlayer
The said the six celebrity contestants and their professional partners will be announced in due course, which keeps the line-up open for now even as the structure is set. That delay matters because the special is being presented as a nostalgia-focused return of familiar faces, but the has not yet revealed which six former contestants will actually appear.
Unlike the main series, the festive edition gives contestants just one opportunity to impress, and the 2026 version doubles down on that pressure by adding opening and closing group numbers. The result is a tighter event built around a single night of performance, with no room for slow-burn recovery.
Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special 2026 will air on One and be available to stream on iPlayer this Christmas. The one question left is the practical one: which former Strictly contestants will be part of the 2026 Christmas special?
