He boasts a string of big names in his friendship circle, and Strictly Come Dancing star Chris Appleton received a sweet gift from one of his most famous pals as he prepares to make his dancefloor debut.
The famed hairstylist, 43, is set to compete in the new series of the BBC show, and on Friday he shared on Instagram he’d received a present from his close friend Kim Kardashian.
Chris posted a video on Instagram Stories that showed a bouquet of white roses that Kim had sent him, along with a card telling him to ‘break a leg’ when he takes to the Strictly floor.
The card read: ‘Break a leg, you got this, xo,’ with Chris captioning a video of the gift as ‘the sweetest surprise’.
While fans are no doubt hoping that Kim could make an appearance in the Strictly audience to cheer Chris on, he has shared that he’s already received advice from one of his famous friends.
Chris recently shared that Selling Sunset star Chrishell Stause had her own words of wisdom, having competed on Strictly’s US counterpart Dancing With The Stars.
Strictly star Chris Appleton has revealed a sweet gift he received from his close pal Kim Kardashian as he prepares to make his dancefloor debut
The pair have been close friends for many years, and fans are already hoping Kim could make an appearance in the Strictly audience to cheer Chris on
He said: ‘My friend Chrishell has done Dancing with The Stars in the US. The best piece of advice she gave me was to just have fun and enjoy every bit, because it goes so quickly.’
Strictly has gone through a massive shakeup for its 24th series. The show’s long-time hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly made the shock announcement they were quitting during last year’s series, heralding the start of the overhaul.
After months of rumours as to who would replace them, it was finally announced in May that seasoned presenter Emma Willis, comedian Josh Widdicombe and the show’s professional dancer Johannes Radebe had landed the gig.
In their first major interview this week, the hosts have explained how the new presenting format will work.
Explaining that having three presenters was a ‘wild card’ choice for producers, Emma, Josh and Strictly pro dancer Johannes have admitted the format is still ‘very open’ just weeks before the live shows are due to kick off.
‘There’s no like for like, so no one’s kind of replacing anybody and at the minute it’s all very kind of open,’ Emma told The Rest Is Entertainment podcast.
‘We’re having lots of production days where we go in and we play around and we’re kind of feeling each other out – well, they’re feeling us out really.’
Josh added to podcast host Richard Osman: ‘It’s going to be like total football, Richard. We’re going to be moving everywhere.’
Chris posted a video on Instagram Stories that showed a bouquet of white roses that Kim had sent him, along with a card telling him to ‘break a leg’ when he takes to the Strictly floor
Emma also clarified that Johannes ‘definitely’ won’t be in a ‘backstage roving reporter’ role as some insiders previously suggested.
The show shakeup has also included a focus on social media stars, disappointing loyal fans of the BBC‘s flagship show, who have criticised the ‘weak’ line-up, claiming there aren’t enough ‘household names’.
Insiders have revealed the broadcaster has a casting strategy as part of its overhaul and has been deliberate in its targeting of celebrities with big social media followings in a ploy to attract younger viewers to the show.
It has been suggested this is to follow a similar, hugely successful social media strategy employed by its US counterpart Dancing With The Stars.
Celebrities such as Chris might not be a household name, but he does boast a huge social media following with 4million fans on Instagram.
Sports YouTuber John Nellis has an even bigger fanbase, with 15.7million YouTube subscribers.
Dancing With The Stars has used their celebrity contestants’ followings to their advantage, introducing a TikTok Night last year – an episode which saw the contestants perform viral dance routines, sparking an uptick in interaction from younger viewers.
The Dancing With The Stars TikTok account now has more than 5million followers, in comparison to Strictly’s 670,000.
And even before this year’s Strictly line-up was announced, the professional dancers fell victim to the same strategy. In recent months popular dancers Nadiya Bychkova, Karen Hauer, Michelle Tsiakkas, Luba Mushtuk and Gorka Marquez have all been given the boot.
It’s understood pros with bigger online followings have been chosen over dancers who are not so TikTok friendly as the series tries desperately to attract a younger audience.
One example appears to be axed Bychkova, who has 214,000 Insta followers, while Dianne Buswell, with 1.2million Instagram followers and 973,000 on TikTok, has kept her place in the line-up.
Meanwhile five new young pros have been recruited with ballroom champ Maddie Ingoldsby boasting 364,000 TikTok followers.
The trio of new hosts also have a strong online presence. Comedian Josh Widdicombe has more than half a million Instagram followers on his personal account whilst the Insta page for his hugely popular podcast Parenting Hell has 250,000.
Emma Willis has 2million Instagram followers and fan-favourite dancer Johannes Radebe, who will act as a co-presenter this year, has 458,000 followers.
The insider has explained that the BBC struggles to attract big-name celebrities these days, because the landscape has changed.
The source told The Sun: ‘Crucially the pipeline that used to feed these big shows has changed.
‘Boyband and girlband stars aren’t as prevalent any more and, once upon a time, getting someone from a soap or a big drama was a massive deal, but now even that has diminished somewhat.
‘Now, though, social media is continuing to boom and big stars from the world of TikTok, YouTube and Instagram are known to a vast section of society.’
Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC iPlayer and BBC One at 7.25pm on Saturday, September 19.
STRICTLY COME DANCING 2026: MEET THE CONTESTANTS
LACEY TURNER
AGE: 38
BEST KNOWN FOR?: Playing Stacey Slater on BBC’s EastEnders
WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I’m so excited and terrified at the same time but I’ve had so many friends do Strictly and I thought it was about time that I plunked up the courage and made my way onto that dance floor.’
DELTA GOODREM
AGE: 41
BEST KNOWN FOR?: Played Nina Tucker in Neighbours and has released eight music albums
WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I’ve been incredibly honoured to perform on many different stages throughout my career – from tv, theatre, film sets, to touring my own shows around the world, there is however one stage I’ve never stepped onto and that is the ballroom floor!’
CACH MERCER
AGE: 25
BEST KNOWN FOR?: Won Love Island 2025 and is a TikTok influencer
WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I have grown up watching the show with my family and am so excited to now be part of the cast. Dancing is a huge passion of mine and I can’t wait to learn Ballroom and do the Foxtrot for the first time!’
DAME SARAH STOREY
AGE: 48
BEST KNOWN FOR?: Britain’s most successful Paralympian
WHY STRICTLY?: ‘Embarking on a new challenge so soon after stepping down as an athlete is hugely exciting.’
BETHANY ANTONIA
AGE: 28
BEST KNOWN FOR?: Plays Lady Baela Targaryen in House of the Dragon
WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I have grown up watching Strictly, and I am so excited to take the challenge on and (hopefully!) learn a new skill.’
GRAEME ‘THE DOGFATHER’ HALL
AGE: 59
BEST KNOWN FOR?: Hosts Channel 5 series Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly
WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I have watched the show for years, so to be a part of it feels like a very exciting challenge, albeit more than a bit nerve-wracking!’
TABBY STOECKER
AGE: 25
BEST KNOWN FOR?: Olympic champion skeleton racer
WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I’ve had the wildest year of my life so far, so to be rounding it off with a childhood dream of dancing in the Strictly ballroom is surreal and I can’t wait to get stuck in!’
MELANIE WALTERS
AGE: 64
BEST KNOWN FOR?: Playing Gwen West in BBC sitcom Gavin & Stacey
WHY STRICTLY?: ‘Performing in Pantomime for the last 15 years, my Strictly ‘fix’ has always been watching in a dressing room rather than my front room.’
DANI DYER
AGE: 30
BEST KNOWN FOR?: Winning Love Island and being the daughter of actor Danny Dyer
WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I am so excited to be back in the ballroom this September! I just cannot wait to get my dancing shoes back on and hopefully this time around I can actually make it to week one!’
CHRIS APPLETON
AGE: 43
BEST KNOWN FOR?: Hairdresser to the stars – including Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez
WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I’m thrilled to be joining Strictly and coming home to the UK for this incredible experience. I’ve always believed that the best things happen when you take a chance and try something new.’
WILL BEST
AGE: 41
BEST KNOWN FOR?: Hosts Big Brother and previously TV
WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I’ve been lucky to do lots of live telly before, but absolutely nothing like this. And I cannot wait!’
JAIME WINSTONE
AGE: 41
BEST KNOWN FOR?: Starring in films such as Kidulthood and Tomb Raider
WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I am no stranger to a dance floor, but the ballroom is a whole new world for me.’
SHAUN WRIGHT-PHILLIPS
AGE: 44
BEST KNOWN FOR?: Footballer who played for the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City
WHY STRICTLY?: ‘Strictly is definitely outside my comfort zone, but I’m super excited to get started and really looking forward to the challenge!’
LAWRENCE ROBB
AGE: 34
BEST KNOWN FOR?: Plays Mackenzie Boyd on ITV’s Emmerdale
WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I can’t quite believe that I am going to be getting my dancing shoes on this September on one of my favourite shows of all time!’
JOHN NELLIS
AGE: 33
BEST KNOWN FOR?: Face of a popular football-focused YouTube channel
WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I can’t wait to meet everyone, learn a new skill and, hopefully, be much better at family parties by the end of it!’
