Gavin & Stacey's Ruth Jones Celebrates Co-Star's Strictly Stint With Message From Nessa

Strictly Come Dancing completed its 2026 line-up on Wednesday by confirming Gavin & Stacey actor Melanie Walters as its 15th and final celebrity. 

Melanie is best known for playing Stacey’s omelette-loving mother, Gwen, on the beloved sitcom.

Reacting to the news on Instagram, the sitcom’s creator Ruth Jones shared a photo of herself and Melanie on a red carpet, celebrating her co-star’s “amazing” news.

In the caption, Ruth said she had a message from her famous character, Nessa.

“O’ Gwen. I hears you’re donnin’ the dancin shoes. Tidy,” she wrote. “[Shirley Ballas] learnt all she knows from me back in the 70s. So if you needs any tips on rhythm just call.

“And don’t take no crap from [Craig Revel Horwood]. He’s a pussy.”

Meanwhile, Stacey herself, Joanna Page, also spoke to Magic about her “gorgeous” TV mum joining the BBC Saturday night dance show.

“’I will be watching every week supporting her, she’s brilliant and she’s a pretty nifty mover,” the Love Actually star enthused. “I think she will be absolutely fab on [Strictly].”

Joanna continued: “I want to say she’s very flexible, because she is – I don’t know if people know this, but she’s a qualified Pilates instructor so if anybody can do it, Mel can do it.”

The Taskmaster contestant also had a suggestion as to who Melanie should be partnered with on Strictly.

 “I think that Mel would be really good with Vito because he’s just a lovely, lovely fella,” she said, referring to the Italian dancer Vito Coppola who last year was partnered with model Ellie Goldstein, and won with Ellie Leach in 2023.

“He’s really nice, really good fun and excitable as well so she’ll be doing some really exciting moves,” she claimed.

When Melanie was announced for the BBC series, the Welsh actor said: “Performing in Pantomime for the last 15 years, my Strictly ‘fix’ has always been watching in a dressing room rather than my front room.”

She added that, as a result, she was “thrilled” to “swap my fairy wand for sequinned dance shoes”.

Melanie will compete for the glitterball trophy against the likes of EastEnders actor Lacey Turner, Big Brother host Will Best, Australian pop star Delta Goodrem, actor Jaime Winstone, Love Island champion Cach Mercer and record-breaking Paralympian Dame Sarah Storey.

Check out our round-up of all 15 celebrities on the new Strictly line-up here.