They welcomed a very familiar face back to the ballroom just before the BBC One dance series final

Strictly Come Dancing stars during 2025 semi-final(Image: BBC)

Strictly Come Dancing viewers were left distracted as they welcomed a very familiar face back to the ballroom just before the series final.

It was the semi-final of the BBC One dance contest on Saturday night (December 13) with the four remaining couples having to perform two dances each in a bid to make it through to Strictly’s 2025 final next Saturday (December 20).

It ended up being a big night for former England Lionesses footballer Karen Carney as she topped the leaderboard with a joint score of 78 for her two dances.

Karen and her professional dance partner Carlos Gu scored 39 for their waltz to One Moment In Time by Whitney Houston, and another 39 for their salsa to Turn The Beat Around by Vicki Sue Robinson, during the penultimate episode of the series.

And the pair were moved to tears after their first performance, with the judges also becoming emotional, as Karen, whose mother watched on from the crowd, remarked: “I just love this guy!”

But there was a distraction for Strictly viewers in the ‘Clauditorium’, where host Claudia Winkleman chats to the couples as they get their scores, as they spotted Gorka Marquez was back, having not been seen live on the show all series.

The professional dancer stepped back from competing in the hit TV dance competition this year, with the news coming after he had already been confirmed as returning to the pro line-up for the 2025 series.

Gorka confirmed the news that he wouldn’t be getting a celebrity partner before the current series got underway, as he headed back to a judging role on the Spanish version of Strictly, Bailando con las Estrellas, a position he first took on last year.

Gorka was seen back in the Strictly ballroom

While he was part of the pre-recording of the show’s group numbers, which continue to be played out throughout the series, Gorka hasn’t been seen live in the ballroom so far this year, with Bailando con las estrellas having also been taking place on a Saturday evening.

However, Bailando con las Estrellas drew to a close on November 30, meaning Gorka was able to make a Strictly comeback – and it didn’t go unnoticed by viewers.

@GorkasJoe said: “GORKAS BACK IN THE CLAUDITORIUM #Strictly.” @gm4rshx noted: “Gorka is BACK #strictly.” @abisenders declared: “GORKA I SEE YOU #strictly.” @FleuritoFaveees joked: “Nice for gorka to show up for once #Strictly.” @lucymaygoodwin echoed: “Nice of you to show up Gorks #Strictly.” @lakekipling shared: “So nice to see Gorka front and centre upstairs #Strictly.” @Simy_78 added: “Yay!! Gorka is back #Strictly.”