Kai Widdrington

Board Member

From a young age, Kai dreamed of becoming a professional footballer and following in the footsteps of his father Tommy, who competed at the top level of English club football in the Premier League with Southampton.

That all changed, however at seven years of age when Kai was introduced to the world of dance, initially taking lessons to help improve his footwork on the football pitch.

With his teenage years fast approaching and Kai now rising through the ranks of the academy of his hometown club Southampton, he was at a crossroads and had a tough decision to make between his two passions.

Kai chose dancing and the rest, as they say, is history.

By the time he was 14, he had already become the World Junior Latin-American Champion and was crowned Italian Open Youth U21 Latin Champion a year later in 2011, while he also reached the finals of a host of other major national and international competitions.

In 2012, he received acclaim after reaching the final of Britain’s Got Talent as part of a dance duo and appeared on the show again in 2014, this time progressing to the semi-finals as a member of a ballroom dance group.

Since leaving the competitive world of dancing behind, Kai’s profile has continued to grow.

He was one of the original Professionals on Dancing With the Stars Ireland during a four-year period before making his debut on Strictly Come Dancing and going all the way to the 2021 Final in his first year, partnered with TV presenter AJ Odudu.

Unfortunately for the duo, an ankle injury sustained by AJ denied them the chance to compete in the showpiece final itself, but Kai had certainly left his mark.

He has since performed on the hit show with broadcasters Kaye Adams and Angela Rippon, the show’s oldest celebrity dancer with the pair making it all the way to Blackpool.