Zara McDermott says Strictly is ‘dream come true’ and has 'wake up moment' after two days

Strictly Come Dancing star Zara McDermott has said that she is "struggling" to spend time with her boyfriend, Sam Thompson, as a result of her schedule for the programme.The former Love Island star, who is dancing with Strictly pro Graziano Di Prima, has admitted that they are training for 11 hours a day as they look to progress through the competition. She also confessed that due to Sam having a radio show in the evenings, when she finally gets home from rehearsals, she is left to practise either on her own or with their cats. Speaking to the Daily Mail, the 26 year old said: "Sam does his radio show every evening, so when I come home from training, he's at work so I rehearse on my own or use one of the cats.

Zara McDermott's second Strictly Come Dancing performance will be particularly special for the ex-Love Islander, with the dance having a sweet link to her grandparents.The ex-Love Islander, 26, is competing on this year's series of the BBC One show with professional dancer Graziano Di Prima, 29, with the duo proving to be a perfect match on the dance floor. Zara performed the quickstep with Graziano on Saturday's show and her mum Karen has revealed that the quickstep has a special link to her parents - Zara's grandparents - who would dance the quickstep together when they were dating.

Strictly Come Dancing was back for another live show with fourteen celebs and their professional dance partners looking to wow the judges and audience at home.

Zara McDermott and her partner Graziano Di Prima are “potential winners” of Strictly Come Dancing thanks to their “great rapport”, a body language expert said. The 26 year old ex-Love Island star and the 29 year old pro dancer have a lot of respect for each other and shared “tactile moments” during their debut routine on Saturday, Darren Stanton said. Earlier this week, OK! revealed how Zara was putting her all into winning Strictly - even if it meant spending time apart from boyfriend Sam Thompson.

Strictly Come Dancing stars Ellie Leach, Graziano De Prima and Vito Coppola were seen laughing and joking around as they left studios in London.The Strictly stars had been filming for the spin-off show It Takes Two on Wednesday, 27 September when Italian professional dancers Graziano, 29, and Vito, 31, could be seen sharing a laugh. At one point Graziano got down on one knee and held out a bunch of flowers to Vito in a heartwarming moment.

It looks like Strictly saved the best until last as Casualty's Nigel Harman topped the Strictly leaderboard with Bobby Brazier, Ellie Leach and Layton Williams close behind. Strictly Come Dancing kicked off with a bang on Saturday night, 23 September, as 15 brand new celebs prepared to battle it out on the dancefloor for the first time in the series.The show opened with a dramatic performance by the professional dancers performing at a scenic, coastal viewpoint before the scene moved to the Strictly dance floor where the rest of the professionals joined the performance.

Sam Thompson has made the effort to "really get to know" his girlfriend's Strictly Come Dancing partner. Zara McDermott, who Sam has been dating since 2019, is taking part in this year's BBC dancing competition. Ahead of the live shows, TV personality and Made in Chelsea star, Sam wanted to get to Zara's partner professional Graziano Di Prima and his wife, Giada Lini.

Zara McDermott has spent 10 hours a day in the rehearsal studio ahead of her Strictly Come Dancing debut.The 26-year-old presenter and documentary maker will be taking to the dance floor for the first time tonight on the BBC. Despite being in the capable hands of her partner, Graziano Di Prima, Zara's mum has said that she will be "nervous" to be dancing the cha cha to Crush by Jennifer Paige.

This year's Strictly Come Dancing celebrities are in a WhatsApp chat together, revealed Zara McDermott's mum. Zara, who first found fame on Love Island, has put her dancing shoes on as she will be taking part in the 21st series of BBC competition.The 26-year-old, who is now a presenter and documentary maker, has been paired with Graziano Di Prima and will do the cha cha to Crush by Jennifer Paige on the first live show tonight (Saturday, September 23).

In the world of celebrity romance, few couples have faced the public eye with the resilience of Zara McDermott and Sam Thompson. From reality TV fame to a heartfelt reconciliation, this duo has shown that love can weather even the stormiest of setbacks. As Zara takes centre stage on Strictly Come Dancing, Sam stands as her biggest cheerleader.

Zara McDermott has put the blame on her Strictly Come Dancing co-star Graziano Di Prima for her nasty injury ahead of the live shows.

Sam Thompson proved the ever doting boyfriend as he met Zara McDermott's Strictly Come Dancing partner Graziano Di Prima.The former Made In Chelsea star, 31, jokingly labelled Graziano "better looking" than his best pal, ex-TOWIE star Pete Wicks with fans predicting that the latter might become 'jealous'. Sam is often posting comical Instagram videos alongside Zara, 26, and Pete - which have continued to be a hit with fans. But aside from the jokes and playful banter, Sam has never shied away from publically supporting his girlfriend on her successes, from fronting a series of BBC documentaries to her latest venture on Strictly.

Sam Thompson has said he is "so proud" of his girlfriend Zara McDermott following her Strictly Come Dancing debut on Saturday. The former Made in Chelsea star, 31, took to his Instagram Stories to share his excitement with fans as the launch show for the 2023 series aired, featuring ex-Love Islander Zara, 26, who will be competing for the Glitterball trophy. Sam, who has been dating Zara since May 2019, hosted a viewing party at his home and cheered his girlfriend on, as it was revealed that she's been partnered with Graziano Di Prima.

Strictly Come Dancing 2023 launched last night, Saturday 16 September, with a packed evening of show-stopping routines. Viewers also had the first opportunity to meet this year's celeb contestants - including Love Island star turned documentary-maker Zara McDermott who revealed she's been paired with professional dancer Graziano Di Prima. And in a new interview with The Sun's Fabulous Magazine, Zara has opened up about the Strictly experience and the supposed 'curse'.

The long-awaited moment finally arrived when Strictly Come Dancing fans found out who their favourite celebs were paired with as they battled it out on the dance floor in the opening show of the series. As well as revealing who the celebrities are paired with, Strictly opened with a dramatic performance from the fabulous professional dancers, who also performed alongside the Judges in an eye-catching routine, like never before seen on the show.The first dancing duo to be revealed was Amanda Abbington who was paired with her professional dancing partner Giovanni Pernice.

Angela Scanlon is set to compete in this year's Strictly Come Dancing alongside the likes of Bobby Brazier and Zara McDermott.The Your Garden Made Perfect and The One Show presenter, 39, is a familiar face on our screens after starting her successful career as a stylist and a journalist, before moving into television. But when she's not on our screens, the Irish presenter can be found at home with her beautiful family. Here we take a look at Angela's family life as she takes to the Strictly dancefloor...

Nikita Kanda is one of the stars set to join the latest celeb line-up of 2023's Strictly Come Dancing. But the star has already had a whirlwind life of fame since becoming a popular voice on radio and a TV presenter in her own right. She has a roster of TV and radio experience behind her which will stand her in good stead as she joins Love Island star Zara McDermott, TV's Angela Scanlon and many more celebs on the Strictly ballroom dancefloor this September.

Couple goals is the only way to describe former Made In Chelsea stars Zara McDermott and Sam Thompson. And it's no surprise one half of the super strong duo, Sam, is already thinking about babies with his Strictly star and documentary-maker girlfriend. And when the TikTok sensation caught up with The Mirror, he opened up on starting a family together and revealed he would like "a boy and a girl." Sam, 31, said: "These years are going by so fast.

After four years on Celebs Go Dating, Anna Williamson has seen it all on the E4 series - from celeb romances, cringe-worthy dates and even the show's first baby. But one couple who have been full of surprises this series is Love Island lothario Adam Collard and model-turned-OnlyFans star Lottie Moss.The duo have been on and off since the very first episode of the series, which Anna admits is a first for the show.

Ahead of the Strictly Come Dancing launch show on Saturday Zara McDermott that although she does have some dance experience, it's not something she's particularly talented at. The former Love Island star, 26, has revealed that she does have a GCSE in dance, which may give her a slight advantage over some of her competitors, however, she says she just about "scraped a pass." Zara, who appeared on series four of Love Island, will be the show's first star to take to the Strictly dancefloor.