New Strictly pro Maddie Ingoldsby defends facial scar as show makes string of personal revelations

From the Newshound archive · first published 4 October 2026.

John Nellis, 33, broke the news on Saturday night's Strictly Come Dancing, revealing to the audience that his wife Shannon McMahon is expecting in February and that he hopes to have a large family with 'big Christmases and big parties.' The pair, who tied the knot last year at Ballyness Resort in Dungiven, Northern Ireland, are already parents to stepson Eli.

Nellis described being away from his family as the toughest aspect of Strictly: 'I miss my wife more than you can imagine, and my son.'

He and partner Katya Jones posted 23 points on Saturday, bringing their combined total to 54 and leaving him near the top of the leaderboard.

The football content creator commands more than 20 million social media followers and has had many of the sport's biggest global stars appear in his videos.