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Jowita-Strictly: Professional Dancer Navigates New Partnership Amid High-Profile Media Scrutiny By BBC Entertainment Correspondent Professional dancer Jowita Przystał, a recent champion of the flagship BBC One competition Strictly Come Dancing, is navigating one of the most demanding periods of her tenure on the programme. Having secured the coveted Glitterball Trophy in 2022 with wildlife presenter Hamza Yassin in her debut partnered series, the Polish-born dancer has returned for the current season, partnered with broadcaster Ross King. The pairing faces a significant challenge following a very low start in the competition, while Ms Przystał is simultaneously under intense media scrutiny regarding her private life, a narrative that often accompanies the show’s high-pressure environment. Ms Przystał and her partner, 62-year-old Ross King, the LA correspondent for ITV’s morning programmes, landed at the bottom of the Week One leaderboard, receiving a score of just 10 points for their Cha-Cha-Cha. This represented one of the lowest initial scores the programme has recorded in recent history. The pressure was visibly felt by Mr King, who became emotional after their Week Two Waltz, describing himself as a potential “poster older man” for those who fear dancing, underscoring the demanding mentor role Jowita Przystał must assume. The couple improved their score to 15 points for their second routine, securing their passage through to the current week, but remain highly vulnerable at the lower end of the competition. Speaking on the challenges faced by former champions who are expected to repeat success, television analyst Dr. Eleanor Vance of the Royal Society of Media Studies noted the immediate pressure.
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"The public expectation on a returning champion is immense. They aren't just seen as a professional; they are seen as a choreographer capable of delivering a win," Dr. Vance stated. "When Jowita was paired with Hamza Yassin, they represented a classic underdog narrative. Now, paired with Ross, her challenge is entirely different. It’s less about achieving technical perfection and more about leveraging her mentorship skills to facilitate personal growth and confidence, a task that often proves more emotionally taxing than pure choreography. " Jowita Przystał’s career trajectory is marked by significant and rapid success in the world of broadcast dance. Before joining Strictly Come Dancing, she and her then-partner Michael Danilczuk won the second series of BBC One’s The Greatest Dancer in 2020. The prize included a performance slot on Strictly Come Dancing, which subsequently led to her being announced as a professional dancer in 2021.
Her 2022 win with Yassin positioned her as only the fifth professional dancer, and the first ever female professional, to win the series in their first year of having a celebrity partner. This track record of transforming non-dancers into high-calibre performers has arguably increased the pressure on her to perform "miracles" in the current series. The professional demands of the competition have been compounded by intense speculation regarding Ms Przystał’s personal relationships. Tabloid media have paid significant attention to her relationship with her celebrity partner from the previous 2024 series, reality television personality Pete Wicks. Following months of rumours, the couple recently reignited the discussion after a surprise joint performance at a live podcast recording in London, where they were reported to have shared multiple kisses during the routine. This high-profile public display has led to what some media outlets have termed a ‘hard launch’ of the relationship. While the BBC programme maintains strict focus on the dance competition itself, the external media interest forms an unavoidable backdrop to the professionals' working lives. Mr Wicks has been quoted praising his former partner, telling ITV's Lorraine that Ms Przystał "can work miracles" and that her current partner only needed to "listen to Jowita" to succeed. The scrutiny is reflective of the intense interest that surrounds the private lives of the professional cast members, many of whom become public figures almost overnight.
A spokesperson for the British Dance Council, who wished to remain anonymous, commented on the reality faced by the dancers: "The professionals on Strictly are elite athletes, but they are also television personalities. They face a unique challenge: maintaining the discipline and focus required for a demanding weekly performance schedule while simultaneously managing a level of media interest usually reserved for established actors or pop stars. This constant external narrative can be hugely taxing, regardless of whether the news is positive or negative. " As Jowita Przystał guides Ross King into ‘Movie Week’—a special episode where they are set to perform a Paso Doble to the Thunderbirds theme—her focus remains dual: on elevating her celebrity partner's technical performance and navigating the off-screen media whirlwind. She is already secured for her future professional commitments, having been confirmed as a key member of the 2026 Strictly The Professionals UK Tour, a testament to her standing within the global dance community. Regardless of the outcome of the current competition, Ms Przystał's ongoing visibility underscores her position as one of the BBC series’ most prominent and successful professional dancers since her debut. Her ability to maintain her professional standards amid such intense public attention will continue to define her evolving role on the show.
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