By Katy Hallam

Copyright birminghammail

Strictly Come Dancing is back – and with some new faces on the dance floor. The BBC previously announced that two brand-new professional dancers would be joining the cast on the hit BBC series for 2025. American-born Alexis Warr, and Australian dancer Julian Caillon are set to take their places alongside returning dancers Dianne Buswell, Nadiya Bychkova, Amy Dowden, Karen Hauer, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Gorka Marquez, Luba Mushtuk, Jowita Przystal, Johannes Radebe, Aljaž Škorjanec, Kai Widdrington, Nancy Xu, Carlos Gu, Lauren Oakley, Michelle Tsiakkas and Vito Coppola. Read more Strictly’s new dancer Julian Caillon’s life from job outside dancing to athletic fiancee But who is Alexis Warr? Alexis, 25, whose full name is Alexis Warr Burton, is best known for winning US dance series So You Think You Can Dance in 2022, but others might recognise her from Celebrity Big Brother star JoJo Siwa’s music video for the song song Karma. She started dancing aged six and has performed as a guest professional dancer and in the dance troupe on the US version of Strictly Come Dancing , Dancing With The Stars, and has been part of the series’ accompanying US tour for the past three years. Alexis has also danced on America’s Got Talent, World of Dance, and on national tours across the States – including three with Dancing With The Stars judge Derek Hough, in addition to his Las Vegas residency. She was crowned as ‘America’s Favourite Dancer’, becoming the first female Ballroom and Latin dancer to claim the title, and is also trained in ballet, jazz, contemporary, hip hop, tap, and gymnastics. But what else do we know about the dancer away from her impressive career? Below we look at her mum’s brutal health battle, her marriage to her childhood sweetheart and her Mormon faith. Alexis previously confessed to being ‘forever change’ by a severe concussion and bullying she suffered as a teen. She said doctors had told her she could have died or been paralyzed if the impact of her head trauma had have been just an inch higher. She previously told Voyage LA: “I would say the biggest personal challenge, that forever changed me, would be when I experienced head trauma and severe bullying during my high school years. “I had always gotten along with all my peers, teammates, and coaches. However, in 2016, my body was turning on me because I was pushing it too much and not taking care of myself mentally or physically. “I also got a severe concussion. This concussion was severe because the doctors I worked with said that if I had hit just an inch above where the impact was, I could possibly be paralyzed or even dead. “I was flabbergasted. I did not believe in the severity. During this time, I found out about the bullying that was going on behind my back. “It hit me so hard and caused me to spiral down to my lowest point and not want to come back. I could barely even recognize myself. “Eventually, I dug out of that hole with the help from my parents, my sister, my faith in my religion, and other dance instructors and mentors. “I quit that part of dance next season in 2017 and just focused on competitive ballroom for the year. I travelled around the United States and across the pond to England for many ballroom competitions and used this time to “escape reality” into my love for ballroom.” She added that she quit her dance season and focused on competitive ballroom as whenever she would dance jazz or contemp, she would get ‘the sickest feeling in my stomach and immediately tear up’ She added: “It just hurt like nothing else. After a year of working on myself and taking care of myself mentally, I decided for my senior year that I didn’t want to end my time at the studio like that. “I forgave those that were so mean and developed friendships with most of them. I wanted to finish what I started and I truly appreciated and was so grateful for the friendships, mentors and instructors that believed in me and provided a second home.” Alexis has always been close to her mum, who was in and out of hospital while she was a child battling brain cancer. She even dedicated her So You Think You Can Dance victory to her mum. Speaking about her mum’s health battle, she revealed she was just two when her mum got sick. She previously told Voyage LA: “There are many challenges that I’ve had to face and walkthrough. One being my mom getting sick with a brain disease when I was two and in and out of remission with multiple rounds of chemotherapy and on home hospice.” She said she had ‘grown immensely from watching my mom fight for her life and still be by my side and support me and my dreams”. Alexis added that when she was nine her mum was diagnosed with a brain tumor and she had to be taken out of dance classes “because the surgery/hospital bills were very expensive and we just couldn’t afford dance”. She continued: “After my mom’s miraculous surgery and remission, my parents gave me the decision to stay in softball or go back to dance. I chose dance and got serious when I was about 11.” Born in Utah, Alexis is married to her high school sweetheart, Jake Burton. They tied the knot in 2018 and celebrated their 7th wedding anniversary just weeks ago, with Alexis penning a gushing tribute. She wrote: “Happy Birthday to my best friend and forever love. “From high school sweethearts to nearly 7 years of marriage, life with you is my greatest gift. “Thank you for chasing dreams with me, lifting me up, and loving me the way you do. I’m so lucky to call you mine. I love you endlessly.” Alexis is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She has previously posted about her deep faith on her Instagram page. She once wrote: “I believe in Jesus Christ and trust in him. Every October and April the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints invites everyone to come together and join in what’s called “General Conference” where church leaders share beautiful messages of love, hope, peace, guidance, and our Savior. “This recent session has given me so much peace, hope, and enlightenment during this time in our world. I feel my Savior’s love and don’t know how I’d navigate this world without his teachings found in the scriptures such as the Book of Mormon, General Conference through our prophet, apostles, and other church authorities, and more. “If anyone is in need of more peace, comfort, guidance, or just a really good uplifting talk you can find the sessions of general conference at www.churchofjesuschrist.org. I love you all and hope that you are having a beautiful Sunday! Don’t let fear displace your faith.”