Overview
- The BBC rejected tabloid reports of a one‑off partner‑swap episode, stating the format change story is not true.
- The new series launches on Saturday 20 September with the pre‑recorded pairing show, live Saturdays follow a week later, the first results air on 5 October, Blackpool is set for 22 November, and the final is scheduled for 20 December.
- Kristian Nairn withdrew on medical grounds and was swiftly replaced by Emmerdale actor Lewis Cope, completing the 2025 celebrity roster.
- Early betting places Ellie Goldstein as favourite, with late addition Lewis Cope emerging as a leading male contender according to odds compilers.
- Police said a man was arrested on 22 August on suspicion of rape and non‑consensual intimate image abuse in a joint inquiry with Hertfordshire Constabulary as separate reports of agents seeking higher ‘danger money’ are disputed by BBC sources.