Strictly Come Dancing series 19
| Strictly Come Dancing | |
|---|---|
| Series 19 | |
| Presented by | Tess Daly Claudia Winkleman |
| Judges | Shirley Ballas Anton Du Beke Motsi Mabuse Craig Revel Horwood Cynthia Erivo (guest) |
| Celebrity winner | Rose Ayling-Ellis |
| Professional winner | Giovanni Pernice |
| No. of episodes | 25 |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC One |
| Original release | 18 September – 18 December 2021 |
| Series chronology | |
Strictly Come Dancing returned for its nineteenth series with a launch show on 18 September 2021 on BBC One, and the live shows beginning on 25 September. Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman returned as hosts, while Rylan Clark-Neal returned to host Strictly: It Takes Two alongside new presenter Janette Manrara, who replaced Zoe Ball. In June 2021, the BBC announced that Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse, and Craig Revel Horwood would return to the judging panel. Anton Du Beke, who served as a guest judge in the previous series, joined the panel in place of Bruno Tonioli, who did not return for the second year in a row due to travel restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In July 2021, the show's executive producer, Sarah James, said the show would return for a "full-length series", with fifteen celebrities, themed weeks, pre-recorded professional group dances, and a Christmas special, but no Blackpool Tower Ballroom special. For this series, the contestants were no longer restricted to perform one of the "couple's choice" categories — contemporary, theatre/jazz, or street/commercial — and could instead incorporate the routine however they wished. In September, a row broke out over whether dancers should be vaccinated against COVID-19. Reports had suggested that three dancers had refused to be vaccinated, with one unnamed celebrity already having to self-isolate since the show's launch night had been filmed.
EastEnders actress Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice were announced as the winners on 18 December, while John Whaite and Johannes Radebe — the first male same-sex couple to compete on the programme — finished in second place.