Carlos Gu


Carlos Gu is a Chinese dancer and choreographer. He is best known for being a professional dancer on the British BBC One television series Strictly Come Dancing since 2022.

Life and career

Gu was born in Taiyuan China on 6 January 1993. He has competed in numerous competitions and is a Chinese National Champion. Along with his professional partner Susan Sun, he has competed in dance championships in China and around the world.

''Strictly Come Dancing''

In July 2022, it was announced that Gu would become a professional dancer on the 20th series of Strictly Come Dancing, as part of four new professionals joining the show along with Vito Coppola, Lauren Oakley and Michelle Tsiakkas. Ahead of joining the show, Gu said "I'm thrilled to join Strictly and very excited to get started. It's a new chapter of my life and a new challenge as well. I'm absolutely ready to take on this journey and to shine." He was paired with singer and actress Molly Rainford for his first series and they reached the final, before finishing as the runners-up. Gu later embarked on the Strictly Come Dancing Live! tour. Gu returned for the 21st series and was paired with television presenter Angela Scanlon; they were eliminated in week 10. Gu returned for 23rd series where he was paired with former footballer Karen Carney and won his first series, becoming the first Chinese professional dancer to win
SeriesPartnerPlaceAverage score
20Molly Rainford2nd35.4
21Angela Scanlon6th30.5
23Karen Carney1st33.9

DancePartnerHighestPartnerLowest
American SmoothMolly Rainford36Angela Scanlon28
Argentine tangoKaren Carney40Molly Rainford33
Cha-cha-chaMolly Rainford35Karen Carney25
CharlestonMolly Rainford38Angela Scanlon
Karen Carney		35
Couple's choiceKaren Carney40Molly Rainford30
FoxtrotMolly Rainford35
Instant DanceKaren Carney1
JiveKaren Carney40Angela Scanlon29
Paso dobleMolly Rainford
Karen Carney		39Angela Scanlon33
QuickstepMolly Rainford39Karen Carney27
RumbaMolly Rainford39Karen Carney28
SalsaKaren Carney39
SambaKaren Carney34Angela Scanlon27
ShowdanceMolly Rainford
Karen Carney		37
TangoMolly Rainford35Karen Carney20
Viennese waltzAngela Scanlon28
WaltzKaren Carney39Angela Scanlon33

Series 20: with Molly Rainford

  • number indicates when Molly & Carlos were at the top of the leaderboard.
  • number indicates when Molly & Carlos were at the bottom of the leaderboard.

    Series 21: with Angela Scanlon

  • number indicates when Angela & Carlos were at the top of the leaderboard.
  • number indicates when Angela & Carlos were at the bottom of the leaderboard.

    Series 23: with Karen Carney

  • number indicates when Karen & Carlos were at the top of the leaderboard.
  • number indicates when Karen & Carlos were at the bottom of the leaderboard.

    Dance tours

In spring 2025, Gu toured with fellow Strictly professional Amy Dowden. In November 2025, Gu announced his appearance at Dancing With The Stars Weekends 2026.

Personal life

Gu is gay and in July 2024 he spoke with Lorraine Kelly on her eponymous ITV show, to come out and to talk about LGBTQ rights in China, saying that homosexuality is not discussed in public there and that that was part of his rationale for moving to the UK, but that his mother was very supportive. A year later, speaking to Hello!, he said that he grew up "different from the stereotype of the boys" and came out so that he could be a role model for "more Asian kids, or the kids out there who are still figuring themselves out". He also talked about a culture of homophobia in dance in China, but that he had been able to look up to his own teacher, a gay 9-time world champion, as a positive role model as a teenager.
In 2025, Gu shared his first artwork, titled Reborn, telling Hello! how he had enjoyed drawing and painting, but had been forced to focus on dance as a child. He told Hello! that he started drawing again in 2024 and spent 2 months on Reborn as a meditative piece.