The winner of Strictly Come Dancing 2024 has already been tipped by an expert. The hit BBC series returns to screens later this month and will see 15 new celebrities take to the dancefloor each week in a bid to win the glitterball trophy.
With the recent controversy surrounding the show and its professional dancers, all eyes will be on them as the series kicks off. The sports betting community at OLBG have shared the latest Strictly winning professional odds and its Johannes Radebe who is the current favourite.
The South African dancer, 37, has odds of 6/1 and an implied probability chance of 14.3%. Johannes is yet to get his hands on the glitterball trophy and will likely be entering his sixth series hoping to change that.
He was pipped at the finish line in 2021, finishing in second place with John Waite behind winner Rose Ayling-Ellis. The beloved TV star just missed out on the final last year when he finished third with Annabel Croft.
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Discussing the latest odds, Jake Ashton, Entertainment betting Expert at OLBG told Express.co.uk: "Johannes Radebe is the favourite, with a probability chance of 14.3%, to be the winning professional on this year's Strictly Come Dancing as the popular dancer looking to win the show for the first time since he first had a partner back in 2019."
He continued: "Even though rumours circulated recently that Radebe may quit Strictly to take on a 'dream' role on stage, he reached the semi-finals last year with partner Annabel Croft and will be determined to strive further this year."
Johannes is no doubt a fan favourite, which could prove to work in his favour as Jake believes the series could turn into a "popularity contest" following the recent scandals involving Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima.
Jake added: "Professional dancers have been under the spotlight in Strictly in recent months with two of them, Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima, leaving the show due to controversial allegations made about their conduct.
"All eyes will be on the professionals this year more than usual with the way they handle training under the microscope even further and it may well turn into a popularity contest over who wins."
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The BBC launched an investigation into Giovanni, 33, after Amanda Abbington claimed that he was "abusive, cruel, and mean" to her during their training sessions - accusations Giovanni has firmly denied.
The internal investigation has reportedly left Giovanni in professional limbo. As a result, he has missed out on several lucrative opportunities, including a potential £100,000 contract to join the Italian dance show Ballando con le Stelle, as well as a £250,000 deal to appear on ITV's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!.
Graziano, 30, was the second professional investigated and later axed from the BBC series. The Italian dancer admitted to kicking former Love Island star Zara McDermott during one of their training sessions.
Writing on Instagram at the time of his exit, Graziano said he "deeply regretted" the events that led to his departure.
