A beloved Strictly Come Dancing professional made an exciting announcement on Wednesday
A Strictly Come Dancing professional has been supported by fans as she made an announcement after her recent show "snub".
Cypriot Ballroom and Latin dancer Michelle Tsiakkas first joined the Strictly line-up back in 2022 after touring the world with pros Dianne Buswell, Johannes Radebe and Jowita Przystał.
Michelle first appeared in the 20th series of the hit BBC dancing competition, alongside fellow newcomers Vito Coppola, Carlos Gu and Lauren Oakley.
She received her first celebrity partner last year, and was paired with EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick. They were eliminated in week ten, just three weeks shy of the grand final.
Strictly fans were therefore devastated when Michelle didn't receive a partner this year, alongside Nancy Xu, Luba Mushtuk, Neil Jones and Gorka Márquez.
The star shared her disappointment on social media back in September, saying: "To those of you asking how I am. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't gutted, but I think that's a normal feeling to have."
Now, Michelle has shared an exciting update after being partnered with Westlife star Brian McFadden for this year's Strictly Christmas Special.
Taking to Instagram with a picture of herself and Brian in the training room on Wednesday (November 26), Michelle wrote: "Soooo happy to be partnered with this legend for the Christmas Special! We are having too much fun in the rehearsal room and we can't wait to perform for you!
"Guess which dance we are doing (ps. It was the only dance Brian was hoping NOT to do)."
Fans quickly flooded the comments section with supportive messages, with one person writing: "What a team eeek. You guys will be great, I can't wait to watch on Christmas Day!"
Another added: "Been waiting for years for you to get a Christmas Special partner, so happy!!"
A third said: "SO excited, wonderful news, loving this already! Is it a Rumba? Jive? Ahh, I can hardly wait," with another similarly sharing: "Congratulations Michelle, so glad you got a partner! I look forward to watching you!"
A fifth fan echoed the sentiment, saying: "I'm so happy I can't stop smiling! I can't wait to see what kind of dance you'll be doing, a Samba, a Cha Cha or something else? I'm so excited just thinking about it!"
Brian completes the 2025 Strictly Christmas Special line-up, which also includes Scarlett Moffatt, Melanie Blatt, Jodie Ounsley (aka Fury from Gladiators), Nicholas Bailey, and Babatunde Aléshé.
Hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman will oversee the festivities for their final time, while judges Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke will be on hand to critique the Christmassy routines.