Strictly stars forced to slash ticket prices by 80% after failing to sell out tours
The sudden drop in prices echoes similar recent struggles faced by other Strictly stars with their live events
Sales Slump Strictly stars forced to slash ticket prices by 80% after failing to sell out tours
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
ALJAZ Skorjanec and Janette Manrara are the latest Strictly stars to slash ticket prices by 80% after failing to sell out their tour.
Tickets for the couple's May 21 performance at the London Palladium are now available for just £15 on seat-filler site, Central Tickets.
Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter
Sign up
4
Aljaz Skorjanec and Janette Manrara are the latest Strictly stars to slash ticket prices
Credit: Getty
By comparison, fans booking through Ticketmaster are being charged between £34 and £88 for the same event, raising questions about demand and pricing strategy for the show.
Aljaz, 35, who lifted the Glitterball Trophy last year alongside Love Island star Tasha Ghouri, has long been a fan favourite.
His wife and professional dance partner Janette, 41, is equally loved by viewers and has continued to shine since stepping back from the main Strictly line-up.
The sudden drop in prices echoes similar recent struggles faced by other Strictly stars with their live events.
Just last month, The Sun revealed that Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood was forced to slash tickets for his one-man show by more than 70 per cent at some venues.
Tickets for his gig at Birmingham's 2,262-seat Symphony Hall, scheduled for April 20, were originally priced between £39 and £89.
But in a last-ditch attempt to fill empty seats, prices were quietly dropped to just £11 on seat-filling site Show Film First - a platform often used by artists and theatre producers to salvage undersold events.
Despite the steep discount, more than a third of tickets were still unsold just hours before Craig took to the stage.
The evening had promised 'big songs, tall tales, and glamour', as Craig swapped critiques for cabaret to showcase his lesser-known musical talents.
Around the same time, Nadiya Bychkova faced her own challenges in selling out her 'tell-all' one-woman show.
Inside Strictly couple Janette Manrara and Aljaz Skorjanec's luxury babymoon at Slovenian retreat
Tickets for her tour, A Special Evening with Nadiya, were being flogged for as little as £5, with sources claiming she was struggling to fill venues across the country.
Seats originally priced between £27 and £43 were cut to just £5 in a desperate attempt to fill seats - also through Show Film First.
During the show, Nadiya pledged to lift the lid on her life story and share behind-the-scenes gossip from her time on Strictly, as well as perform some of her most memorable dances from the BBC series.
4
Tickets for their London Palladium performance are now available for just £15
Credit: Splash
4
Craig Revel Horwood was forced to slash his tickets by more than 70 per cent
Credit: Rex
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
16 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
My body's ‘under construction' after cancer op but prosthetic boobs have made me feel normal says Hollyoaks' Ali Bastian
IT would be understandable to lose faith after a horror 12 months that saw her both diagnosed with cancer and forced to come to terms with the tragic loss of her 'beautiful' mum. But former Hollyoaks star Ali Bastian says she is "better than I would have imagined" after being declared cancer-free, even if her tumultuous recovery has left her still feeling "under construction". 12 Ali Bastian has inspired fans with her candid posts about her treatment for breast cancer Credit: Instagram / alibastianinsta 12 The 43-year-old stepped out at the Baftas last month Credit: Splash 12 She revealed how she has reunited after 20 years with her former stepmum, Sally, who has supported her through her health battle Credit: Supplied The 43-year-old was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer in June 2024, and underwent a mastectomy in January before getting the all clear two months later. Now, the Strictly star - who has inspired fans with her candid and powerful updates about her treatment journey - has opened up about the next steps in her recovery and revealed she is still weighing up reconstruction surgery. In a new interview with Giovanna Fletcher on the Happy Mum Happy Baby podcast, she explains how she is now turning her attention to removing a tumour the size of a "tennis ball" that developed after the birth of her daughter, Isla, five years ago. And she reveals how she has found an unlikely pillar of support in the form of her former stepmother, who she had not seen in over 20 years. Asked how she had handled the recovery, she said: "In some ways better than I would have imagined actually, even the sort of gearing up for a mastectomy. "I've got a really good prosthetic that makes a big difference. It means in clothes I feel normal. It's bright pink. It makes me happy. "It's just very different to the lump of silicone that you get handed in the hospital, which is a hell of a moment. "This is a lot lighter and easy to wear. I quite like that it doesn't look like a chicken fillet, like a pretend boob. "It's something that I could show the kids as well because it's so visually appealing. "It was one of those little bridging things. I just keep saying to myself really 'I'm still under construction, I've been through a lot, I'm healing at the moment'." Following her shock breast cancer diagnosis, actress and Strictly star Ali Bastian on losing her hair and the changed relationship with her boobs 12 Ali Bastian as Becca Dean in the Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks Credit: Mersey Television 12 She is also known for appearing on Strictly Come Dancing in 2009 Credit: PA:Press Association,BBBC 12 The former Hollyoaks star, pictured before her diagnosis, was declared cancer-free in March Credit: Getty 12 In one emotional video, Ali shaved her head while undergoing chemotherapy treatment Credit: Instagram / @alibastianinsta Ali, who has two daughters Isla, five, and Isabella, two, with husband David O'Mahony, is best known for playing Becca Dean in the Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks, as well as appearing on Strictly Come Dancing in 2009. She was diagnosed with cancer after discovering a lump she initially thought was a blocked milk duct while breastfeeding her youngest daughter. But after undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment, Ali says her successful recovery has now allowed her to focus on other health problems she was forced to put off. She said: "I've got a big old hernia from my babies as well. "Because of all of this I haven't been able to have that done, and actually I'm more keen to get that done than anything else because that is harder to hide. "It's like a tennis ball. I've had it for five years, and it needs to go now." And speaking on the prospect of further surgery to reconstruct her breasts following the mastectomy, she said she will "explore" her options. She said: "I couldn't have a reconstruction at the time because we always knew I'd have to have radiotherapy. At some point there'll be some kind of something. "Initially I was like 100 per cent it's happening. But now, I want to have the conversations and talk through what the options are, but I'm not actually married to any of them at the moment." Surprise reunion 12 Ali is now hoping to remove a tennis ball-sized tumour that developed after giving birth Credit: Instagram / @alibastianinsta 12 Ali said that her stepmum's sister, who was an oncology nurse, has also provided support Credit: Instagram / @alibastianinsta 12 Ali with husband husband David O'Mahony Credit: Instagram Most incredibly of all, Ali's health battle has also led to her reconnecting with her former stepmum, Sally, who she hadn't seen in 20 years. The pair reunited after Ali's mum tragically passed in autumn 2023, just months before her cancer diagnosis. In an emotional post last April, she told fans: "I wrote this on Mother's Day but didn't end up posting, but here goes…. TW grief. We lost our beautiful Mum in the autumn of '23, only a few months before my diagnosis. "A sudden death after a short terrible illness. Impossible to make sense of. "Grief, I attempted to put on hold whilst I managed a grueling treatment regime now comes in waves, sometimes crashing, sometimes tidal, rarely gentle… but I try to go gently with myself as I navigate life after cancer and life without you." The actress had moved with her husband and children from London to west Cork to slow down shortly before the tragic death. It followed her suffering a suspected infection following the birth of her second child. But her stepmum in London, who she had not seen for 20 years, got in touch and offered to come to Ireland to help Ali and her family - support she said was "incredibly healing". 12 Speaking about the response to her revealing her diagnosis, she said: "The love and support and kindness was incredible. I never know what to respond to those moments. "'It means more than you know' is what I find myself always saying, but I really, really mean that. "I had this amazing thing happen for me in that my stepmum, who I hadn't seen for 20 years, who'd parted company with my dad when I was about 20, when I lost my mum, she reached out to me. "She was like 'Hi, I'm here for you if you need me'. She knew I had a nine-month-old baby. So she just kept an eye on me." Ali added: "When I got my diagnosis she was like 'I'm coming to Cork'. "She spent a week with me and my family. Her sister was an oncology nurse so she had a sense of the treatment plan I was on, and what the months might look like. "She said 'Can I come back and I'll nurse you through this bit?' So she was with me for five weeks through the real tough chemo part. The way my treatment went towards the end, it's quite cumulative. "So she came and helped with the kids and helped me, and talked to me, and looked after me basically, and then came back again when I had my mastectomy and just held me. "Literally sleeves up. It's a really different energy when somebody's like 'I see you in that hole, I want to climb down with you and help you, and please let me do that'. "That's been incredibly healing, like amazing, amazing." 'Crazy little bubble' 12 Ali featured in the iconic Hollyoaks swimwear calendar Credit: Handout Speaking after coming back to London and staying with her stepmum, Ali said: "When I come back to London now I stay with her and I have a home here to go to, because I hadn't taken that on board with moving out to Ireland - that there's nowhere to come back to. "I have a place to go, a soft place to go, and that just means so much. "The type of woman that she is, after she and my father parted ways she went on to become a social worker and become really experienced in that. "She's done incredible work in that field for years and years. "So of all the people that I know that would be able to hold that space for me, my children, my husband, all of those dynamics, and you know the way a family undulates at the best of times, when there's something going on there's constant shifts in everyone's ups and downs. "We were kind of in this crazy little bubble going through this nightmare all together - she just had a way of being able to be there for us, and that not be complicated. "She even gave me a mug of tea last night and I looked in the rim and it said 'I told you to sit down'."
Daily Mirror
17 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
'We were Strictly stars - the show is past its best but we know how to save it'
EXCLUSIVE: Former Strictly professional dancers Brendan Cole, Vincent Simone and Pasha Kovalev give their honest opinion to the Mirror about how BBC bosses can save Strictly Come Dancing at a time of crisis Strictly Come Dancing has long been the diamond in the BBC 's crown ever since it waltzed onto our screens back in 2004. But over the last few years, the beloved show has become more of a thorn in the corporation's side after having to deal with an endless stream of scandals. Most recently, Jamie Borthwick - who was partnered with new pro Michelle Tsiakkas last year - was suspended from his 19-year role on EastEnders for using a derogatory term about disabled people. The 30-year-old actor has since apologised, but the incident occurred while he was filming Strictly and used the slur to describe locals in Blackpool. It came just months after radio presenter Wynne Evans was axed from the Strictly tour, and subsequently let go from the BBC entirely, after he was caught on camera making a 'spit roast' remark. At the time, he apologised - though has since claimed he was 'horrified' at the way the statement was issued by the BBC. Yet questions about the future of Strictly were already drawn last year following the bullying probe launched into the behaviour of professional dancers. What followed was a tightening of rules in training sessions and the BBC show having the fewest female celebrities in its 20-year history. So after everything that's happened and the changes it has undergone, can the show still be saved? Beloved pro dancer Vincent Simone - who starred on the BBC show from 2006 until 2012 - tells the Mirror that he would like to see the show stripped back to its original format. 'Back in our day with Bruce [Forsyth], it was a very traditional Ballroom and Latin American show,' Vincent Simone explains. 'Now it has developed so much and they've introduced so many different styles that me, myself, would be struggling to do like contemporary and all that stuff. 'It didn't used to have any special effects - it was literally someone handing me over a CD with the music and saying good luck, off you go for next week. It's a much bigger team now with choreographers, helpers and cameras and so they juice it up a lot more. Sometimes I always feel like it's nice to strip it back to just two people dancing with the music. Like, really simple. I like that side of it.' Brendan Cole, Strictly's legendary 'bad boy' pro from 2004 until 2017, admits that he feels the show has lost a little bit of its magic. However, unlike Vincent, doesn't feel that the show can go back to basics. 'With these big shows, the longer they run, the more bells and whistles,' he says. 'Because every year a new producer steps in, they want to make the show their own. When [Strictly] first started there was a magic about it but if you watch that show now, it would probably seem very, very basic and very average compared to what you watch now. 'But of its day, it had a magic and it had a beauty and it was very innocent. It's probably lost a little bit of that, but I don't think you could return to that format. I think shows have to improve and have to compete with other shows, otherwise they get left behind. 'Strictly had an amazing 20 something years on television. I don't think you can compare the start to finish, but what you can do is admire the way the show has been produced over the years, and the fact that it still has a good family sort of value.' He adds: 'So yes, it's had a couple of it may have had a couple of rocky years, but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. It's just time.' While Pasha Kovalev, who fell in love with his now-wife Rachel Riley while working on the show from 2011 until 2018, says that he misses the original VTs which showed the relationships between the pro and celebrity develop in the training room as opposed to the skits that are filmed now. 'You don't really speak much on the show,' he says. 'You stand next to your celebrity and listen to what the judges say. Those VTs before could show the actual friendship and relationship that develops between the two people on the dance floor in the dance room and you can get your personality across. That's why everyone loves Vincent now.' Vincent interjects cheekily: 'We had personality back in the day!' The charismatic trio, who are about to join fellow former pros James Jordan and Ian Waite on their The Return of the Legends tour across the country, still watch the show despite no longer being a part of it and are grateful for the opportunities it gave them. However, Vincent admits that there was a 'hole' in his life when he left the show. 'I was content when I left but then there is almost like a clock inside your system so that when it comes to September, you know that the show is about to start. So I felt a bit lost, even though I went on to do another show [I'm A Celebrity]. 'But still, every year since then, when it comes to the autumn, there is that sort of hollow feeling about missing out on the show.' Yet, he says that he wouldn't ever return as a pro on the show. 'When I was asked to go back and choreograph some of the Argentine Tangos and I had to spend time with the celebrity and pro, that's when I realised no way could I do this again. They are long days and hours in the training room - it's not easy, what they do. 'I left at the right time, because the thought of spending every day for eight hours in the studio and chatting to the guy, it's, it's draining. You need to be young and free of children or wives and so on. So in a way, that helped me move on from the show.' While Pasha admits he found it relatively easy to leave the show when he did. 'I only did it for eight years, not 15 like Brendan,' he says. 'So at that point, I knew that I wanted to do something else. I was ready to move on. It was my decision and I never looked back.I had an amazing time and I met so many wonderful people and who I'm still friends with, and that was enough.' Brendan admits that he never thought of a life after Strictly as it had consumed his whole life for so long, so the prospect of leaving had been scary. In 2018, Brendan admitted that he was 'in shock' and 'very disappointed' after learning BBC bosses had axed him from the show. The 49-year-old, who moved to Mallorca with his wife Zoe Hobbs and their two children after Covid, says: 'I must have been asked 1000 times during my time on Strictly, 'What are you going to do after? What's next?' And I never had an answer for that. I was always like, 'I actually have no idea. I don't know what will fill that five, six month gap of the year.'It consumes you because it doesn't just start when you start the show, it starts months before that with thinking about music, ideas, etc. 'I was a little bit sad when it was over because it was such a bit part of my life, but that sadness ended the day I sort of said it out loud and I went, 'Okay, I'm no longer a Strictly dancer.' It was hard to say at first initially. But then, as soon I said it, it was like a weight had lifted and I was like, 'Right, what the hell is next? Let's go!' 'And I actually had the most incredible year doing the most incredible TV shows and theatre productions. My world changed completely, and it changed for the better. But it's all thanks to being on Strictly for so many years. Well, not all thanks, but I was very proud of my time on the show. It was a phenomenal 15 series - even the bad ones, the horrible ones I hated, they're still part of a journey that makes you who you are now.'
Scottish Sun
19 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Feud revealed as Maura Higgins unfollows Olivia Attwood and Pete Wicks after bitter split from Strictly star
no maur Feud revealed as Maura Higgins unfollows Olivia Attwood and Pete Wicks after bitter split from Strictly star MAURA Higgins has sensationally unfollowed Olivia Attwood and Pete Wicks after her bitter split from the Strictly star. In February, it was revealed that Maura, 34, and Pete, 37, ended their relationship after a series of fiery rows. Advertisement 3 Maura Higgins has sensationally unfollowed Olivia Attwood and Pete Wicks on Instagram Credit: instagram 3 The former Towie stars have reciprocated the move Credit: Getty Then, at the start of March, the former Love Island and I'm A Celeb star was seen kissing Danny Jones amid their drunken kiss scandal at a BRIT Awards afterparty. And now, in the fallout of this, Maura has removed herself from Olivia and Pete's Instagram accounts. The former Towie stars have unfollowed Maura too. Olivia previously defended her pal Pete after Maura's cheating jibe. Advertisement The TV star explained her "controversial" joke at the Brit Awards, telling fans: "I'm very protective of my friends." It came after Pete told MailOnline: "It's hard for Sam Thompson tonight because I've got a new work wife. But, he's not far away, he's over there actually." He added: "It is a little bit weird because it feels like I am..." "Cheating?" Olivia laughed, referencing Maura's claims that Pete was "probably out cheating" on Valentine's Day. Advertisement Pointing out she was making a joke of the situation, Olivia said: "Cheating's not funny. Pete didn't cheat. That is the joke. Hope that helps." She added: "Well I appreciate that you could read between the lines - I had to comment because A LOT of people couldn't - because that's not something I would find funny at all. Maura Higgins Scandal: A Kiss That Shook Reality TV "And I'm just going to caveat that with with I'm very protective of my friends, but I don't hate / have feuds / at war with anyone. "You guys have seen my work schedule - I don't have time to eat most days." Advertisement Olivia added: "When I get up in my feelings I probably shouldn't do coded Instagram Stories because then things get misconstrued. I'll just say it with my chest in future if I'm upset." She was referring to a cryptic post she shared recently, claiming she had a secret that would "blow your f***ing mind." Olivia said: "One day I'm going to write a book and some of the stuff I have managed to keep [zipped mouth emoji] on over the years. "It will blow your f***ing mind. Advertisement "You can try to hire all the same people, regurgitate my stories as your own, study the playbook, follow the recipe blah blah blah, but it will NEVER taste the same. That's all." It was revealed earlier this year that reality TV duo Pete and Maura had split after a series of fiery rows. Sources have since claimed that the ITV2 beauty called it quits after discovering her man was chatting with "loads" of girls online. They had spent Christmas together after their six-year friendship turned romantic. Advertisement Now Irish model Maura is under fire for a "drunken kiss" with her married I'm A Celeb co-star Danny Jones at the Brits bash. Pete Wicks and Maura Higgins' relationship timeline Maura and Pete are believed to have met for the first time in 2019, following her stint on Love Island. She late said they "just clicked". In August 2024, the pair were spotted enjoying a lunch date together in London's Soho. The following month, Maura showed her support to Pete following the release of his book Never Enough: My Words Unfiltered. She wrote online: "Proud of you." In October, Pete appeared on Olivia Attwood's podcast and was grilled about his romance with Maura. Olivia said: "Your dating life. Maura Higgins." Pete replied: "Me and Maura have known each other for a long time." Olivia told him she'd seen a photo of them kissing. Maura spoke briefly about Pete on Paul C Brunson's We Need To Talk podcast in the same month. She said: "We just get on very, very well. I adore him, he's an amazing person." Later in October, Maura and Pete were spotted kissing and cuddling several times; once at the Pride Of Britain afterparty and again during a dinner date. Maura jetted off to the jungle for I'm A Celebrity in November. But she continued to pretend nothing was going on. Maura told GK Barry: 'No, I'm single. People can date and not be in a relationship and take things slow. What's the point in getting them involved too soon, when you just don't know where it's gonna go, you know?' In December, Maura and Pete flew to Ireland and spent Christmas together. The pair broke cover and gave fans a glimpse inside their cosy lake house. Just weeks later, Pete told The Times that he was "s*** scared" of settling down. He also appeared in Loose Women in February and spoke about his fears of commitment. On February 14, Valentine's Day, it was reported that Pete and Maura had split up.
