CHRIS APPLETON SAYS KIM KARDASHIAN MAY ATTEND STRICTLY SHOW

Chris Appleton, the hairdresser who works with Kim Kardashian, was paired with professional dancer Amy Dowden on the launch episode of Strictly Come Dancing on BBC One. He will compete against singer Delta Goodrem, former Love Island winner Dani Dyer and former England footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips. Asked whether Kardashian might attend a live show, Appleton said "watch this space" and that "anything could happen". He said contestants are allocated only two tickets each, adding that he was unsure whether she would come.

Kardashian, whose reality series The Kardashians has featured Appleton, posted on social media in support of him when his place on the show was announced and sent him flowers with a note telling him to "break a leg". Appleton, who is from Leicester, said Kardashian had "always been so kind" and had been "such an amazing person" throughout his career. He described her as "my hair muse" and said he felt lucky to work with her. His other celebrity clients include Sofía Vergara, Ariana Grande and Katy Perry. A separate report said Strictly's head judge Shirley Ballas has asked Kardashian to join the judging panel.

Appleton has previously been named a "Hair Star" by Vogue UK, and his work has appeared on covers and in features for Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Vanity Fair, Marie Claire, Grazia and L'Officiel Paris. The pairing with Dowden was revealed as part of Strictly's launch episode, which introduced this year's full line-up of celebrity contestants and professional dancers. Appleton said he did not know whether Kardashian would take up an invitation to watch him compete in person. The BBC One series continues with further live shows in the coming weeks.