I have a TV Mandela to report. I am certain that when 'Strictly Come Dancing' started on the BBC, the contestants were all amateurs. I watched it once or twice and decided it was pretty entertaining but not really for me. No idea who was presenting it but possibly Bruce Forsyth. Then the second or third season was a celebrity one with professional dance partners, which I thought was a stupid gimmick, and I was surprised when it took over permanently from the amateur version.
I mentioned this to someone and they didn't recall the amateur version that started it all off, so I went online to look it up.... and there is absolutely no trace of it ever existing! A couple of people have suggested that I am thinking of the original, very boring and staid 'Come Dancing' that was on in the 1970s when I was a child, but that was a completely different kettle of fish. It was all ballroom for a start, whereas the one I recall incorporated different styles, although always couples. I recall one couple did the Charleston, and the woman received snide comments in the tabloid press about her weight.