Kai Widdrington (born 23 August 1995) is an English dancer andchoreographer. In 2010, he was the Junior World Latin American champion. In 2012, he reached the final of thesixth series ofBritain's Got Talent. Between 2017 and 2020, he was a professional dancer on theIrish version ofDancing with the Stars, and in 2021, he became a professional dancer on the BBC showStrictly Come Dancing.

Widdrington was born inSouthampton, England^[1][2] to formerPremier League footballerTommy Widdrington and mother Candice.^[3] His younger brotherTheo currently plays forAldershot Town F.C. Widdrington was also set to follow in his father's footsteps by becoming a professional footballer, but aged 12 chose a dancing career instead of a Premier League contract. By the time he was 14, he was the World Junior Latin American champion.^[4] Widdrington also has a younger sister.^[5]

Widdrington is of part Chinese descent. His maternal grandfather is halfChinese and said to have been at school in the same class as actorBruce Lee.^[6]

In 2012, Widdrington formed a dance partnership with Natalia Jeved, both of whom auditioned for thesixth series ofBritain's Got Talent. The pair managed to reach the live final.^[7] Two years later, in 2014, Widdrington made a second appearance on the programme during itseighth series, as part of the ballroom dance group Kings & Queens, working alongside futureStrictly Come Dancing professionalsKatya Jones andNeil Jones, and futureDancing with the Stars professionalsKsenia Zsikhotska andRyan McShane.^[8] The group managed to reach the semi-finals of the series, but were ultimately eliminated from the competition by that stage.^[9]

In 2017, Widdrington was announced as one of the professional dancers for the first series ofDancing with the Stars in Ireland.^[10] He was partnered with comedian and actressKatherine Lynch. They were eliminated in week nine of the competition, finishing in sixth place.^[11]

In 2018, Widdrington was partnered with camogie playerAnna Geary. They reached the final of the show, finishing as joint-runners up alongsideDeirdre O'Kane andJohn Nolan.^[12]

In 2019, Widdrington was partnered with teenage actressDemi Isaac Oviawe.^[13] They were eliminated in week seven of the competition, finishing in eighth place.^[14]

In 2020, Widdrington was paired withMiss Universe Ireland 2018,Gráinne Gallanagh.^[15] On 15 March 2020, it was announced that the scheduled semi-final had become the final due to precautions around theCOVID-19 pandemic halting production early. Gallanagh and Widdrington were one of the four couples in the final, and they finished as runners-up to winnersLottie Ryan andPasquale La Rocca.^[16]

Highest and Lowest Scoring Per Dance

¹ This score was awarded during Switch-Up Week.

Series 1 – with celebrity partnerKatherine Lynch

Series 2 – with celebrity partnerAnna Geary

Series 3 – with celebrity partnerDemi Isaac Oviawe

Series 4 – with celebrity partnerGráinne Gallanagh

From September 2021, he appeared as a professional dancer on thenineteenth series ofStrictly Come Dancing, partnered with television presenterAJ Odudu.^[17] In their first week the couple topped the leaderboard with a score of 34 for their jive toGold Dust byDJ Fresh. JudgeMotsi Mabuse hailed the routine "the best dance of the evening, without a doubt."^[18] The couple qualified for the final but had to withdraw the day before after Odudu suffered an ankle injury.

For thetwentieth series, Widdrington was partnered withLoose Women panellist,Kaye Adams. They were the first couple to be eliminated from the series after losing the first dance off toMatt Goss andNadiya Bychkova. On 30 November 2022, it was announced he would dance withAlexandra Mardell for the 2022 Strictly Christmas Special; they eventually won the competition with a perfect score on their quickstep.

For thetwenty-first series, Widdrington was partnered with television presenter and journalist,Angela Rippon. They finished 7th, being eliminated in week 9 after losing the dance off toBobby Brazier andDianne Buswell.

In 2024 Widdrington returned for thetwenty-second series but was not paired with a celebrity partner.He went on to win the Christmas Special dancing aCha-cha-cha with Welshdrag queenTayce, in December 2024, with Tayce becoming the first drag queen to compete onStrictly Come Dancing. The pair scored maximum points from all four judges.^[19][20]

Highest and Lowest Scoring Per Dance

Series 19 – with celebrity partnerAJ Odudu

• Green number indicates when AJ & Kai were at the top of the leaderboard.
• Red number indicates when AJ & Kai were at the bottom of the leaderboard.
• *Score awarded by guest judgeCynthia Erivo.

Series 20 – with celebrity partnerKaye Adams

• Red number indicates when Kaye & Kai were at the bottom of the leaderboard.

Series 21 – with celebrity partnerAngela Rippon

• Red number indicates when Angela & Kai were at the bottom of the leaderboard.

From 2016 to 2021, Widdrington was in a relationship with professional dancer and fellowDancing with the Stars professional,Giulia Dotta.^[21][22] In June 2022, it was reported that he was in a relationship with fellowStrictly professional dancer,Nadiya Bychkova, but they were reported to have ended their relationship in July 2024.^[23]

In September 2024, Widdrington announced he was to appear at "Dancing With The Stars Weekends" 2025.^[24]

• 1995 births
• Living people
• Britain's Got Talent contestants
• British ballroom dancers
• English people of Chinese descent
• Entertainers from Southampton
• People from Southampton

• CS1 errors: missing periodical
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