Strictly Come Dancing viewers have criticised the BBC for casting celebrity hairdresser Chris Appleton after he and partner Amy Dowden became the first pair eliminated from the 2026 series.
Many fans argued Appleton, known mainly as Kim Kardashian's stylist, is not a celebrity in the traditional sense, questioning whether the show is scraping the barrel for contestants. The early exit seemed to confirm their suspicions that he lacked the public profile to survive the vote, and the backlash against his casting began almost as soon as the line-up was announced.
Others defended the casting, pointing out that Appleton is hugely famous among younger audiences who follow beauty and fashion influencers. In an era when social media followings can dwarf television ratings, the definition of celebrity is changing, and Strictly's producers are clearly trying to keep pace with a media landscape in which fame is increasingly fragmented.
Appleton's partnership with Amy Dowden had promised glamour, but the judges' scores and the public vote told a different story. Being first out is always a bruising experience, and the debate over his casting will have made it harder, turning a disappointing result into a referendum on the show's direction.
The BBC faces a perennial dilemma with Strictly casting. Big names bring viewers but are hard to secure and expensive to insure; lesser-known contestants are easier to book but risk exactly this kind of backlash. The show's producers will be watching the reaction closely as they plan future series, knowing that every casting choice is now dissected online.
For Appleton, the Strictly adventure is over almost before it began. For the show, the row over what counts as a celebrity in 2026 is likely to rumble on long after the glitterball has been awarded, and the debate says as much about the changing nature of fame as it does about one hairdresser's dancing.
Strictly's casting has always been a balancing act between star power and surprise, and the producers have increasingly looked beyond traditional television fame. In recent years the line-up has included YouTubers, reality stars and social media personalities, reflecting the fragmented nature of modern celebrity. Appleton's early exit will be seen by critics as proof that the experiment has limits, but the show's ratings remain robust, and the producers are unlikely to change course. For Dowden, the early elimination was a disappointment, but she paid tribute to her partner's efforts. The debate over what makes a celebrity worthy of the Strictly dancefloor, however, is far from over.