John Nellis announces on Strictly he and wife Shannon McMahon are expecting a baby

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By CONNIE RUSK, ASSOCIATE SHOWBUSINESS EDITOR

Published: 22:51 BST, 3 October 2026 | Updated: 22:51 BST, 3 October 2026

John Nellis shared some exciting news on Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday night as he revealed his wife Shannon McMahon is pregnant.

The YouTuber, 33, said he was finding it hard being away from his family and that they are expecting a baby in February.

John, who is proud stepfather to Eli, said: 'The hardest part of my job, and it genuinely breaks my heart, is the amount of time I spend away from family.

'I miss my wife more than you can imagine, and my son. And our family's growing. We're having another baby in February. I want a big family.

'I want big Christmases and big parties like I grew up with more than you can imagine.'

John and Shannon married last year at Ballyness Resort, Dungiven, Northern Ireland.

John Nellis shared some exciting news on Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday night as he revealed his wife Shannon McMahon is pregnant (pictured with stepson Eli)

The YouTuber, 33, said he was finding it hard being away from his family and that they are expecting a baby in February

After topping the leaderboard last week, John and his dance partner Katya Jones, 37, danced the first Couple’s Choice of the series to An Irish Party in Third Class from Titanic.

Shirley Ballas said she 'totally enjoyed the dance', while Anton Du Beke told John not to be so hesitant with lifting Katya.

Craig gave a low score of four as he told John he was too 'heavy footed' but Shirley and Anton awarded seven points, giving a total score of 23 points to be added to last week's top score of 31.

This gave him a combined score of 54 and placed him towards the top of the leaderboard.

Football content creator John is one of the UK's biggest sports content creators, with a combined audience of more than 20 million followers across social media.

Known for his entertaining football content, his videos have amassed billions of views and featured some of the biggest names in world sport, including Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Originally from Newcastle in County Down, John left his job as an air traffic controller to pursue content creation full-time.

Since then, he has become one of the leading creators in the sports space, winning Sport Creator of the Year at the 2024 TikTok Awards UK & Ireland.

After topping the leaderboard last week, John Nellis, 33, and Katya Jones, 37, danced the first Couple’s Choice of the series to An Irish Party in Third Class from Titanic

Craig gave a low score of four but Shirley and Anton awarded seven points, giving a total score of 23 points to be added to last week's top score of 31. This gives him a combined score of 54

Strictly week 2 leaderboard

Celebrity and dance partner

Delta Goodrem and Kai Widdrington

Graeme Hall and Lauren Oakley

Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola

John Nellis and Katya Jones

Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu

Tabby Stoecker and Mark Karmalita

Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby

Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin

Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu

Shaun Wright-Phillips and Alexis Warr

Lawrence Robb and Jowita Przystał

Dame Sarah Storey and Julian Caillon

Will Best and Dianne Buswell

Chris Appleton and Amy Dowden

Melanie Walters and Aljaž Škorjanec

This week/ last week score: Total

30 + 29: 59

31 + 24: 55

27 + 25: 55

23 + 31: 54

27 + 26: 53

28 + 22: 50

29 + 20: 49

23 + 22: 45

21 + 21: 42

25 + 15: 40

19 + 20: 39

24 + 15: 39

19 + 18: 37

17 + 16: 33

15 + 15: 30

John's content has taken him around the world, covering major sporting events and collaborating with some of the biggest names in sport.

Most recently, he teamed up with Erling Haaland, with content from the collaboration amassing more than 60 million views across social media.#

The cast for the upcoming 2026 was criticised for the 'weak' line-up when it was announced, with fans claiming there weren't enough 'household names'.

However, John has impressed viewers following his week one performance.

STRICTLY COME DANCING 2026: MEET THE CONTESTANTS

LACEY TURNER

AGE: 38

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Playing Stacey Slater on BBC's EastEnders

WHY STRICTLY?: 'I'm so excited and terrified at the same time but I've had so many friends do Strictly and I thought it was about time that I plunked up the courage and made my way onto that dance floor.'

DELTA GOODREM

AGE: 41

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Played Nina Tucker in Neighbours and has released eight music albums

WHY STRICTLY?: 'I’ve been incredibly honoured to perform on many different stages throughout my career - from tv, theatre, film sets, to touring my own shows around the world, there is however one stage I’ve never stepped onto and that is the ballroom floor!'

CACH MERCER

AGE: 25

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Won Love Island 2025 and is a TikTok influencer

WHY STRICTLY?: 'I have grown up watching the show with my family and am so excited to now be part of the cast. Dancing is a huge passion of mine and I can’t wait to learn Ballroom and do the Foxtrot for the first time!'

DAME SARAH STOREY

AGE: 48

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Britain's most successful Paralympian

WHY STRICTLY?: 'Embarking on a new challenge so soon after stepping down as an athlete is hugely exciting.'

BETHANY ANTONIA

AGE: 28

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Plays Lady Baela Targaryen in House of the Dragon

WHY STRICTLY?: 'I have grown up watching Strictly, and I am so excited to take the challenge on and (hopefully!) learn a new skill.'

GRAEME 'THE DOGFATHER' HALL

AGE: 59

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Hosts Channel 5 series Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly

WHY STRICTLY?: 'I have watched the show for years, so to be a part of it feels like a very exciting challenge, albeit more than a bit nerve-wracking!'

TABBY STOECKER

AGE: 25

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Olympic champion skeleton racer

WHY STRICTLY?: 'I’ve had the wildest year of my life so far, so to be rounding it off with a childhood dream of dancing in the Strictly ballroom is surreal and I can’t wait to get stuck in!'

MELANIE WALTERS

AGE: 64

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Playing Gwen West in BBC sitcom Gavin & Stacey

WHY STRICTLY?: 'Performing in Pantomime for the last 15 years, my Strictly ‘fix’ has always been watching in a dressing room rather than my front room.'

DANI DYER

AGE: 30

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Winning Love Island and being the daughter of actor Danny Dyer

WHY STRICTLY?: 'I am so excited to be back in the ballroom this September! I just cannot wait to get my dancing shoes back on and hopefully this time around I can actually make it to week one!'

CHRIS APPLETON

AGE: 43

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Hairdresser to the stars - including Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez

WHY STRICTLY?: 'I’m thrilled to be joining Strictly and coming home to the UK for this incredible experience. I’ve always believed that the best things happen when you take a chance and try something new.'

WILL BEST

AGE: 41

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Hosts Big Brother and previously TV

WHY STRICTLY?: 'I’ve been lucky to do lots of live telly before, but absolutely nothing like this. And I cannot wait!'

JAIME WINSTONE

AGE: 41

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Starring in films such as Kidulthood and Tomb Raider

WHY STRICTLY?: 'I am no stranger to a dance floor, but the ballroom is a whole new world for me.'

SHAUN WRIGHT-PHILLIPS

AGE: 44

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Footballer who played for the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City

WHY STRICTLY?: 'Strictly is definitely outside my comfort zone, but I’m super excited to get started and really looking forward to the challenge!'