Strictly Come Dancing contestant Will Best is managing a grueling schedule that includes co-hosting the Hits Radio Breakfast Show and fronting ITV’s Big Brother. Speaking from Elstree Studios, the 41-year-old presenter candidly discussed his rehearsal nerves and support systems.
Doing the dance competition means layering intense choreography rehearsals on top of an already packed diary. According to The Independent, Best wakes up at the crack of dawn for his weekday radio slot before heading straight to studio commitments, maintaining an aggressively positive mindset despite the exhaustion.
The Bottom Line
- The Schedule: Will Best is balancing Strictly Come Dancing training with his Hits Radio Breakfast Show and fronting ITV’s Big Brother.
- The Cast Dynamics: The 15-celebrity lineup features a WhatsApp group where Best admits to being a “lurker,” alongside an early bromance with celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton.
- The Precedent: Fellow broadcasters AJ Odudu and Fleur East set a high bar by reaching previous finals, putting playful pressure on Best’s ballroom run.
Juggling Breakfast Radio, Big Brother, and the Ballroom
Will Best is one of the busiest men in British television, and he is the first to admit that the pace is relentless. As one of the 15 famous faces taking part in this year’s dance juggernaut, Best finds himself pulled in 25 directions. Between grueling training sessions, live shows, and filming obligations, he refuses to drop his weekday Hits Radio Breakfast Show duties, which begin at 6 a.m.
Reporting from Elstree Studios during press and photoshoot days, Best maintains an infectious, upbeat tone. But the mask slips just enough to reveal the human toll of the grind. Recalling a particularly heavy day surrounding the National Television Awards—where early radio work collided with mounting Strictly preparation—Best confessed to hitting a fatigue wall. Fortunately, his burgeoning backstage bromance with celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton stepped in to steady the ship when the stress peaked.
“He picked me up and put his arms around me,” Best told Inkl, recalling how Appleton sensed his exhaustion and delivered a grounding pep talk.
Inside the WhatsApp Group and High-Stakes Broadcasting Roots
Every autumn, the reality format manufactures its own isolated ecosystem known as the “Strictly family.” This year’s cohort—which includes Dani Dyer, ex-footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips, and Lacey Turner—wasted no time establishing a cast WhatsApp group. Yet, Best admits he is struggling to find his digital voice amid the incoming tide of media.
“I’m a bit of a lurker,” Best admitted, noting that actor Jaime Winstone provides the group’s best memes due to her boundless energy. “I get nervous about chiming in on WhatsApp groups with loads of people. In real life, you can’t shut me up, but something about those WhatsApp groups… I hope people don’t think that I’m aloof.”
| Contestant | Primary Media Platform | Prior Station / Connection |
|---|---|---|
| Will Best | ITV / Hits Radio | Big Brother Co-Host |
| AJ Odudu | ITV / BBC | Big Brother Co-Host (2021 Finalist) |
| Fleur East | Hits Radio / BBC | Radio Co-Host (2022 Runner-Up) |
That broadcasting crossover creates a unique internal pressure. Best’s appearance will be watched intensely by his fellow Big Brother presenter AJ Odudu and his Greatest Hits Radio co-host Fleur East. Both women reached the business end of the competition in recent years—East finishing as a runner-up in 2022, and Odudu withdrawing from the 2021 grand final due to injury. As Best points out, if he makes an early exit, neither colleague is likely to let him live it down.
A Brand New Era for Saturday Night Television
Beyond the personal pressures facing individual contestants, the flagship is entering a transitional era. The programme is entering a brand new era, with five new professionals replacing some stars, alongside a wave of new celebrity talent.
Whether his early-morning radio stamina translates into nimble footwork on the Latin and ballroom floor remains to be seen. But as the launch show approaches, Best’s charm and transparent self-awareness might just win over the skeptics before the judges even raise their paddles. Drop a comment below: do you think radio breakfast hosts have an unfair advantage with early-morning discipline, or will the exhaustion catch up to him?
