Strictly come dancing 2018: ex-champion 'refuses' to launch new series

It is custom for previous Strictly Come Dancing winners to perform at the very first show of the new series, but last year’s champion Joe McFadden will not be following in the tradition, it

has been reported. Former Holby City star Joe, 42, allegedly refused to launch the series as he was unhappy with performing one of his winning dances. The BBC had chosen a dance previously

showcased by Joe and his professional partner Katya Jones, 29, during last year’s series, however it was reportedly not to his liking. A TV insider said Joe “didn’t want to do the dance”

selected by the BBC and was not given the option to perform something else. “Every year, the winner is invited back to perform a standout routine,” a source told The Mirror. “For Ore Oduba

that was his jive, Jay McGuiness did his Pulp Fiction jive, and Caroline Flack came back to salsa again.” They continued: “Joe didn’t want to do the dance selected but they wouldn’t let him

do something else. It’s a shame.” Meanwhile, a BBC spokeswoman told the newspaper: "It is a Strictly Come Dancing tradition that we invite last year's winners back for an encore

performance to kick-off the new series. However, sadly on this occasion Joe isn't able to perform." Express.co.uk has contacted a representative for Joe McFadden for comment.

Earlier this week, Joe presented the Strictly Come Dancing launch event for The One Show, where he spoke to some of this year’s contestants. The reigning champion previously defended the new

line-up, despite concerns from fans the celebrities were not as famous as previous year’s. Speaking to BBC News, he said: “It’s a fantastic line-up, there is someone off Casualty, there is

a presenter, there’s a Paralympian... it ticks every box for me.” Head Judge Shirley Ballas also leapt to the defence of this year’s stars, including Joe Sugg and Katie Piper, insisting

everyone should “give them a chance”. In a recent interview with Loose Women, she stated: “First of all, I don’t think the BBC ever get it wrong. That’s just my feeling. “They gave me a

chance last year [as Head Judge] and I got a lot of abuse online and people didn’t even know me or give me half a chance.” She continued: “This year is completely different. I feel embraced,

I feel loved. This is exactly what’s going to happen with this I believe. “It’s a diverse panel of beautiful people, all with a story.” “Everybody has their opinions, but they are just

opinions at the end of the day,” she added. “It has to be a mixture of people and at the end of the day, people will watch it, they’ll judge for themselves.” _STRICTLY COME DANCING RETURNS

TO BBC ONE ON SEPTEMBER 8._