By Jordan Lloyd Beck

Copyright mirror

Alexis Warr and Julian Caillon have joined the professionals on Strictly Come Dancing for the new series. It’s not known who either of them will be paired up with yet, but they will be starring alongside regulars like Amy Dowden, Kai Widdrington and Nancy Xu amongst a host of others. Neither of them are strangers to television, having worked their way up from competing on different version of So You Think You Can Dance, and they have worked as professionals on various iterations of Dancing with the Stars. Alexis, 25, is from Utah in the US and was the first Latin and ballroom dancer to win So You Think You Can Dance at the end of its seventeenth season in 2022. At the time, she dedicated her win to her mother, who had been suffering from brain cancer before a ‘miraculous recovery’ came along. During her time on the show, she said: “Every week I’m here is another week that I get to make my mamma happy. My mum and dad sacrificed a lot for me to dance, specifically financially, because they saw something in me that I didn’t see. This journey has been a love letter to my mother, and I would love to seal that with a win.” Prior to finding fame, Alexis worked as a dancer on America’s Got Talent but after coming to national attention, she was quickly snapped up by DWTS bosses, who installed her as a member of the resident dance troupe. While she did not dance with any celebrities during her stint on the show, she did perform alongside other professionals during a recent round of the competition. Alexis has had her own brush with global stars though, because, in 2024, she appeared in JoJo Siwa’s music video for her hit track Karma. Outside of the spotlight, she is married to Jake Burton, having tied the knot with the dental student in 2018. On joining Strictly, she said: “I’ve admired Strictly for years, so joining this incredible family is such an honour. I can’t wait to step into the ballroom, pour my heart into every moment, and share my love of dance with the UK!” Meanwhile, Julian, a native of Australia , came to prominence when he competed on So You Think You Can Dance in his home country in 2014 and went on to tour across the country. The performer, 30, who also works as a personal trainer, joined DWTS Australia and was initially paired with Gogglebox star Angie Kent in 2020. A year later, he guided model Erin McNaught through the competition before Angie made a comeback for the next series of the competition. Outside of his showbiz career, he is engaged to Sofia Ochoa. But the pair won’t have to navigate their relationship as long-distance, as Julian confirmed in an an Instagram post that his significant other had recently joined him in London. He said: “My fiancée also arrived from Australia and as soon as she arrived I just felt calmer and London started feeling more like home. “It just goes to show that home can be anywhere in the world as long as you have your person with you On joining Strictly, he said: “Joining the cast of Strictly really is a dream come true… I can’t wait to get stuck in, have some fun, and be part of something special!” Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Saturday for its launch show. Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .