Strictly Come Dancing viewers were treated to a surprise when Cynthia Erivo stopped by for a spot of guest mentoring on this week's Movies Week Special. There was an understandable buzz about the episode as it was a big deal to receive feedback from the musical sensation on a special week like this one, and the star did indeed offer insightful, encouraging feedback on each of the couples' dances.
Longtime Strictly viewers might remember Cynthia from her two stints as a guest judge on the show back in 2021 - one of which came in Musicals Week, once again highlighting how great she was as a judge. But this weekend, there was no scoring from Cynthia, just guidance, as she raved about the fantastic routines and offered guidance along the way.
Outside of Strictly, Cynthia has a huge career as one of the biggest stars of stage and screen, and you can soon see her back on the biggest screen of them all.
Wicked star Cynthia Erivo is a stage and screen legend
Cynthia Erivo is a star of the stage and screen who has already carved out a legendary career for herself in a short amount of time. As her Strictly VT intro confirmed, she's been nominated for an Emmy, Grammy, Tony and Oscar (and she won all of them bar the Oscar). And that only just scratches the surface of her talent.
Erivo first made her presence felt on the West End in The Umbrellas of Cherbourg back in 2011 before going on to star in Broadway's adaptation of The Color Purple. Moving into films, it was her performance in 2019's Harriet that earned her the Academy Award nomination. While starring in HBO dramas and Oscar-nominated movies, she also provided voicework for Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur and Star Wars: Visions while also appearing in an episode of Peacock's Poker Face. In 2024, however, her career skyrocketed even further. Or should we say defied gravity?!
Erivo starred alongside Ariana Grande in the critically-acclaimed Wicked - the long-awaited adaptation of the iconic musical. She played the Wicked Witch of the West, or as Wicked would inform us: Elphaba, the former best friend of Glinda the Good Witch. Unsurprisingly, both of them received widespread praise for their layered, nuanced performances and powerful vocals throughout.
They even performed the stunning rendition of "Defying Gravity" at the Oscars earlier this year, truly capturing just how much of a moment in time Wicked was. Thankfully for all of us, it's a moment that we're all about to relive as the heavily-anticipated sequel Wicked: For Good arrives in movie theaters this November.
The press tour for the first installment was widely publicized, generating a lot of buzz for the movie, so you can bet that excitement is high for the next one. That's what makes it even more awesome that Cynthia Erivo was able to find time to return to Strictly to offer her guidance and support to the couples who took to the dancefloor. An icon and a legend indeed.
Wicked: For Good arrives in movie theaters on November 21, 2025.