Not only has the former Labour MP miraculously managed to make it to Blackpool, but he’s one of the favourites to win.Last night - week nine of the competition - Balls wowed the audience with his Jive to “Great Balls of Fire” (get it?“We are going to have a situation in the next couple of weeks where we have two extremely good dancers who the judges absolutely love but who’ll end up in the dance-off while Ed will probably go through. I hope it doesn’t come to that.” Horwood affirmed how he will “trust in the judgment of the public” while also detailing how Ball getting this far will no doubt be good for dancing in general.The full line up of fifteen were confirmed earlier this month and the unveiling of this year's all star cast started with former politician Ed Balls, the first celebrity to be revealed.The final trio were announced at the start of the onth: Actress Lesley Joseph, best known for her role in Birds of a Feather; World Champion long jumper Greg Rutherford, who has just returned from the Olympics in Rio; and East Enders star Tameka Empson.After three weeks of intense training with their pros, they'll perform LIVE for the first time this weekend.More celebs selected for this year's Strictly include Hollyoaks hunk Danny Mac, model Daisy Lowe, BBC Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty and singer Anastacia.

How will the story stack up against the greatest films about business?) while the judges were less impressed, awarding Balls and partner Katya Jones just 23 of a possible 40 points.Speaking after the show, judge Craig Revel Horwood - who awarded just four points to the pair - admitted that Balls could certainly go on to win.I can only give my honest opinion about the dancing and what the audience decides to do with that information is entirely up to them.I was rather hoping that I was educating the great British public.“We are not together,” the amiable 31-year-old actress tells me at the Macmillan De’Longhi Arts Programme silent auction at the Darren Baker gallery in Fitzrovia. The reason I haven’t spoken about it is because I hate reading about myself in that way.” The pair were together for more than three years after they were first partnered on Strictly, but rumours began to circulate in December that they had become estranged.The impression was reinforced in the summer when Kara was seen at the Chiltern Firehouse without the Russian dancer by her side. Monty had been asking me to go to his school for a 'stay and play' session which I did this morning and it was fab.I saw him in his classroom environment, he got to take me on a tour of the classroom and playground and I saw his teachers in action.Appearing on Strictly Come Dancing seems to put a curse on relationships that is every bit as potent as a picture spread in Hello!After Rachel Riley, Susanna Reid and Ben Cohen broke up with their other halves after appearing on the show, Kara Tointon now confirms to Mandrake that she and Artem Chigvintsev are also dancing solo.Kara will next appear in the new series of Mr Selfridge on ITV.“I finished filming for the show last week,” she tells me. I play the eldest daughter of Harry Selfridge, her name is Rosalie.“Ed will probably get to the final on 17 December,” he told .“That is the odd thing about Strictly Come Dancing.