JLS star JB Gill is the clear favourite to clinch the Strictly crown this year after the couples were unveiled during the launch show. However, it’s not looking rosy for Gloucestershire’s Nick Knowles as the DIY SOS host saw his winning odds plummet.

Knowles, 61, seen as an underdog, hasn’t witnessed any improvement in his Strictly odds despite being teamed up with Luba Mushtak. He was already at the bottom before the launch show and his odds have now further dipped to 100/1. However, he now shares the 100/1 odds with ex-footballer and pundit Paul Merson and his partner Karen Hauer, both having only a slim chance of bagging the series win.

Former boy band member JB was already the bookie’s pick to win the coveted Glitterball this year even before the celebrities were paired with their professional partners. But after he was teamed up with returning Amy Dowden – who was honoured with an MBE this year for her services to fundraising and raising awareness of Crohn’s disease – JB’s victory odds were shortened even more.

Amy, who took a break from last year’s series while she was undergoing treatment for breast cancer, was greeted back with thunderous applause during the opening show. At the end of one opening routine, she was at the heart of a massive group hug with the other Strictly professionals who were clearly thrilled by her return, reports Gloucestershire Live.

Amy and her celebrity partner JB – who finished third on ITV’s short-lived Strictly rival Dance Dance Dance – are now 7/2 favourites to be crowned champions this year. Love Island’s Tasha Ghouri, who has been paired with Aljaz Skorjanec – also making a comeback to the show after a two-year hiatus – is second favourite with the bookies at 11/2. Former X Factor champion Shayne Ward, set to dance with Nancy Xu, is third in line at 6/1.

All 15 celebrities met their professional partners for the first time on Saturday during a typical glitzy and glamorous launch of the nation’s favourite dance show. Strictly’s dynamic hosts, Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, were joined by judges Craig Revel-Horwood, Anton Du Beke, Shirley Ballas and Motsi Mabuse as they celebrated two decades of dance.

The launch show featured five epic performances in addition to the big couples reveal. The celebrities and their professional partners are now busy training for their first performances next weekend.

The show will span over 14 weeks, with one celebrity being shown the door each week, leading up to a live final on December 14. But it comes as Strictly Come Dancing has suffered a significant setback as the latest viewing figures for its launch show have come to light.

The BBC’s top-rated dance show, Strictly Come Dancing, marked its 20th anniversary with a grand opening over the weekend but saw a significant drop in viewership, with one million fewer people tuning in compared to last year. Amidst the controversy surrounding Giovanni Pernice and Amanda Abbington, the programme drew an average of 5.5 million viewers.

These preliminary figures are based on overnight TV ratings and do not include those who may watch later via BBC iPlayer or other catch-up services. In contrast, last year’s opener attracted 6.2 million viewers, while 2022 saw 5.4 million, and the year before that boasted a whopping 7 million audience keen to find out the celebrity and professional dancer pairings.