Maisie Smith celebrates Strictly announcement by tucking into tray of cupcakes

EastEnders star Maisie Smith couldn’t hide her excitement when her mum presented her with a tray full of Strictly Come Dancing cupcakes.

The mother and daughter duo were celebrating the actress’s latest venture after it was confirmed she’d be appearing in this year’s series.

And when walking into her kitchen, the soapie squealed as purple treats were placed under her nose.

‘They look amazing,’ she beamed as she took a step closer to get a better look.

Choosing one from the middle, she laughed: ‘I’m going to have one now.’

Proud parent, Julia Smith, shared the moment onto her Instagram, which Maisie reposted, alongside the caption: ‘Ty mumma for my Strictly cakes [sic].’

The 19-year-old is currently the favourite to win, with the professional dancers reportedly battling it out to get paired up with her.

‘All the male pros really want to partner with her, not just because she’s young and fit, but she’s also proven herself to be a brilliant dancer,’ a source recently told The Sun.

They added: ‘She has a massive fan following, which often ensures contestants get far in the competition.’

The Tiffany Butcher actress previously danced on the Children In Need special with Kevin Clifton (who decided to walk away from the ballroom hit at the start of the year).

When chatting on his podcast, The Kevin Clifton Show, the former Strictly winner praised Maisie, branding her ‘sensational’.

‘For anyone who watched the Children In Need special last year, will know that Maisie can really dance,’ he said.

‘Usually it’s a case of you show them a bit of choreography, take a few days to sort of put a routine together, I had no idea how she was going to take to it.’

The dancer pressed: ‘I was literally bashing out choreography and she was doing it straight away. I don’t know what she’s like in the ballroom, we just did cha cha cha.

‘She was brilliant at it.’

Maisie will be joining the likes of comedian Bill Bailey, singer HRVY, actress Caroline Quentin and boxer Nicola Adams – it looks like they need to watch their back!

Strictly Come Dancing will return to BBC One later this year.

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