It’s been a hot talking point for years and now Strictly Come Dancing fans finally saw a same-sex performance on the BBC show.

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Opening Sunday night’s results episode with a dramatic routine to Imagine Dragons hit Believer, the show’s professional dancers were paired off by gender. Katya Jones and Nadiya Bychkova teamed up, Gorka Marquez danced with AJ Pritchard, while Neil Jones and Kevin Clifton performed as a pair.

And viewers were in full praise of the same-sex performance...

For many, it proved that such pairings could work between celebrities and pros in the future.

Same-sex dancing partnerships have been a point of contention surrounding the series since comedian Susan Calman was criticised last year for agreeing to dance with a man.

Plus, Will Young has previously said that the narrative suggesting gay contestants should want to dance with members of the same sex was “insulting”, while Judge Rinder wrote in Radio Times that attempting to “politicise” the show would dilute its effect.

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Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC1 next Saturday at 6.30pm

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Authors

Thomas LingDigital editor, BBC Science Focus

Thomas is Digital editor at BBC Science Focus. Writing about everything from cosmology to anthropology, he specialises in the latest psychology, health and neuroscience discoveries. Thomas has a Masters degree (distinction) in Magazine Journalism from the University of Sheffield and has written for Men’s Health, Vice and Radio Times. He has been shortlisted as the New Digital Talent of the Year at the national magazine Professional Publishers Association (PPA) awards. Also working in academia, Thomas has lectured on the topic of journalism to undergraduate and postgraduate students at The University of Sheffield.

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