Strictly Come Dancing bosses have signed the show’s youngest ever professional designer, with social media sensation Maddie Ingoldsby, 21, joining the roster.
Maddie, who boasts an eye-popping 43.5k followers on Instagram, turned 21 in February and is just months older than former star Chloe Hewitt, who was the youngest signing when she joined in 2016.
The six-time World Amateur 10 Dance Champion in competitive ballroom, has been dancing since she was six and is also an actress and is among five new pros joining.
The announcement of the new line-up is imminent and The Sun reports Maddie has been added to the list in the wake of the BBC show’s bloodbath.
Ballroom fans flooded social media with praise for the signing, with one Reddit user writing: ‘Woah massive news if true!!… She is an amazing ballroom dancer, also one of the few still doing both ballroom and Latin to a high level.’
Strictly Come Dancing bosses have signed the show’s youngest ever professional designer, with social media sensation Maddie Ingoldsby, 21, joining the roster
The announcement of the new line-up is imminent and The Sun reports Maddie has been added to the list in the wake of the BBC show’s bloodbath
Strictly has been hitting headlines across the board since a host of professionals were axed while long-time hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman stepped down.
The BBC show is set to undergo a huge revamp ahead of its return in September, with Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe and Josh Widdicombe replacing Tess and Claudia.
Strictly Come Dancing has faced backlash over the signing of Love Island star Cach Mercer, who is also a professional dancer.
The influencer and model, 25, was announced as the fifth celebrity to be taking part in this year’s series earlier this month.
And while most fans know him for winning last year’s Love Island, others had to turn to Google to find out why he is famous.
Fans shared their displeasure due to Cach’s dance background, echoing the backlash Strictly stars JB Gill and Tasha Ghouri both received in previous years.
Cach has earned a legion of social media fans on TikTok for showcasing his Afrobeat, hip-hop and street dance moves.
She frequently shares saucy snaps
Maddie, who boasts an eye-popping 43.5k followers on Instagram, turned 21 in February and is just months older that former star Chloe Hewitt, who was the youngest signing when she joined in 2016
As well as modelling and DJing, Cach puts on dance classes for aspiring dancers. Fans fumed: ‘Had to google who he was, and the first thing that came up was “professional dancer”!!! wtf @bbcstrictly,’
‘He’s a professional dancer,’ ‘Sorry but the inevitable who? Never heard of him,’ Can we get some proper celebrities? Never heard of him’, ‘extremely unfair on other contestants’.
Fellow Love Island star Tasha, who starred on the show in 2022, shared her support in the comments, after she was also subjected to backlash for her dancing background.
She has won six championships
Fans shared their displeasure due to Cach’s dance background, echoing the backlash Strictly stars JB Gill and Tasha Ghouri both received in previous years
She wrote: ‘Huge good luck!! Take it all in and enjoy it, it’s the best feeling and experience ever!’
Cach won Love Island in 2025 alongside his ex-girlfriend Toni Laites before splitting seven months later.
He joins an already star-studded line-up of Kim Kardashian’s celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton, Australian singer Delta Goodrem, WAG Dani Dyer and actress Lacey Turner, who were unveiled last month.
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