Haven't been on the J&D thread for a while, been catching up.
With regards to the points mentioned a few pages back about babies coinciding with Strictly - I do remember that on DWTS, a pro returned to the show just 2 months after giving birth so it is technically possible but there is no guarantee that anyone would be fit enough to compete just a few months after having a baby. I don't think it's possible during any stage of pregnancy though, too risky, especially with a contender. In general though, SCD probably wouldn't give any pro a year off since everyone is replaceable. If a pro took a year off for having kids or doing something else in life and their replacement was a hit with the audience, would there much justification to then bench that pro the following year in order to make space for the returning one?
I hope she gets a good run on the show this year - whilst her celebs (bar Rev. Richard) haven't been the worst draws on paper, they weren't experienced in dance, or that well known/engaging/popular and she hasn't really had her 'golden goose' celeb (if that make sense) yet like Amy with Karim, Oti with Danny Mac etc. A ringer would be good but so would the Jamie Laing type.
As for Joe - he's 30 in Sept, needs to actually pull his weight!