Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton Du Beke took a cheeky dig at previous contestants during his appearance on This Morning on Wednesday.

Talking about the new 2024 season of the hit BBC One dance show, which kicked off with its first live episode last Saturday, the conversation quickly turned cheeky.

When host Cat Deeley remarked: “Got to talk about it – the start of the show was just phenomenal, wasn’t it?” Anton responded enthusiastically: “It was so good! There are so many wonderful characters on the show and the dancing was really quite good.”

However, co-host Ben Shephard teased: “Really quite good?” This prompted Anton to take a light-hearted jab at past participants, saying: “No, because it’s week one, normally they’re awful! I’ve danced with some who couldn’t even remember their own names, let alone the steps!”

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Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton Du Beke took a cheeky dig at previous contestants during his appearance on This Morning on Wednesday

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Anton added: “There was some fantastic dancing at the weekend, this weekend is going to be really interesting. This is the first weekend it gets really serious and someone goes home, it’s week two, first elimination!”

Amidst the build-up to the second live show this coming weekend, the competition has already been dealt a dose of drama. Earlier in the week, contestant Nick Knowles revealed he had suffered a painful injury while changing his car tyre, leaving him with an arm in a sling, reports the Express.

The DIY SOS presenter, 62, has updated fans regarding his participation on Strictly, noting he needs to rest his arm but hopes to continue on the show as his team figures out a solution.

On his journey to rehearsals with professional partner Luba Mushtuk, he shared on Instagram: “It’s been an interesting few days, that’s for sure. I’ve seen a load of people, I’ve got a load of people trying to make everything work for me.”

Nick continued: “I’m feeling good, arm’s in a sling still to make sure that it’s rested when I’m not using it. But today I’m going to try and dance and see what my capabilities are. Luba is trying to prepare a dance that will work for me.”

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The DIY SOS presenter, 62, has updated fans regarding his participation on Strictly, noting he needs to rest his arm but hopes to continue on the show as his team figures out a solution(Image: (Image: BBC))

He also expressed his hopes about the upcoming show, saying: “It’s a big day for me. I’m really really hoping that we find out that I can dance on Saturday. I’d really like to stay part of the competition, so keep your fingers crossed for me.”

During his appearance on the Strictly Come Dancing spin-off It Takes Two on Monday night, Nick revealed he had sustained an injury, as evidenced by the sling he wore during the interview. He explained the ‘painful’ circumstances of his injury, which occurred while on the way to a family birthday celebration.

He recounted the incident: “I went to get my 10-year-old son and bring him back to the party but we broke down on the motorway with a flat tyre, and it was raining and there were big lorries going past, so I tried to do it quickly and change the tyre quickly. As I took the tyre off, I basically damaged my bicep and damaged my arm.”

Nick also updated his followers about his condition on Instagram on Monday, mentioning his trip to London’s Harley Street “to get a scan done and to get some top medical advice”.