UPDATE: |BBC Strictly Come Dancing star Kai Widdrington addresses major body transformation after show ‘setback’ News

It was not getting a celebrity partner on last year’s Strictly Come Dancing that forced the dancer to ‘reflect’

Kai Widdrington has opened up about his recent transformation and seemingly suggested it was not getting a celebrity partner on last year’s Strictly Come Dancing that forced him to ‘reflect’.

After missing out on a celebrity partner during the hit dance show’s 20th anniversary series, the dancer took part in the Strictly Come Dancing Live 2025 tour where he was seen back doing what he does best.

He got a prime role in the string of live arena shows as he’s stepped in to partner Gladiators star Montell Douglas. Kai was drafted in to partner Montell after her 2024 series partner Johannes Radebe couldn’t commit to the tour as he was already touring the country in his first-ever theatre role, playing Lola in Kinky Boots.

Now, Kai is preparing for his own headline show. The professional dancer previously announced he’d be hitting the road with his own tour, titled EVOLUTION.

It will soon see him travel the country, stopping at venues in Swansea, Doncaster, Leicester, Belfast and Dublin throughout May and June. It was also revealed in January his former Strictly co-star Giovanni Pernice is one of the creative producers for the upcoming show.

But fans have been distracted by Kai in recent months with many rushing to comment on his Instagram posts, gushing over his new look and now, Kai has spoken about his changed appearance for the first time.

Appearing on the Monday Mile podcast, host Aimee Fuller pointed out that Kai has been looking a bit different lately. She said: “We touched briefly on routine and being fit to dance, we can’t neglect the fact that we’ve seen a little bit of a body transformation. Kai six months ago looked like a slightly different person to the gentleman I’m walking with today. What’s gone on? What’s happened?”

After a laugh, Kai went on to share: “It’s one of those where I was so fit as a kid. I’m not ashamed to say that I was the guy in school who was the county champion in running, was the captain of the football team, a swimmer, played everything, was good at everything and I was so fit.

“But I basically stopped dancing for a year when I was 18 and I kind of put a little bit of weight on and it kind of never went. I couldn’t get it off and I couldn’t find a way to get it off.”

Kai continued: “After sort of last year, and you know I didn’t get a partner on Strictly, so I had a bit of a reflection moment and it was kind of the best thing that could have happened to me.”

He added: “Here’s a good little nugget for you, ‘Setbacks are just the setups for the comebacks’… So sometimes you need a little reflection moment so I had a look in the mirror and I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m not really happy with this!’ The main think I did was diet, I really just ate good, looked after what I was putting in my body.

“I was like, ‘You know what, I’m a dancer. I want to look like a dancer. I want to feel good in what I’m wearing. Even wearing what I am now I probably wouldn’t have worn this like six months ago because I’d have been like, ‘No, I need to wear black!’ But it’s about being comfortable in your own skin.”

Olympian Aimee went on to ask Kai for his ‘secret’ to commiting to making a change, to which he shared: “The biggest thing for me was, maybe it’s a bit extreme, but I took a photo of myself after a gym session in September and I haven’t put it out there or anything but put it this way, I was in between 15 and 20 kilos heavier than I am now.

“I look back at it now and go, ‘Holy Moses, you were dancing like that!’ But the point is, I had accountability, so I looked back, and I was like, ‘You can’t go on like this. You need to hold yourself accountable’.

“At the end of the day, we can cry and we can moan but it’s down to you. It stops with you, it’s no one leses fault you’re putting weight on or whatever. So I was like, listen, no one else is going to do it for me so I might as well do it myself.”