Strictly Come Dancing returns later this year for its 20th anniversary season, with celebrities including the show’s first blind contestant, stars of stage and screen, and an Olympic champion.
Despite controversy surrounding allegations of abusive behaviour behind the scenes, and the departure of two male professional dancers, BBC boss Tim Davie has said he is confident in new welfare measures put in place for the upcoming series.
Stars will step out on the dancefloor for the first time in the autumn, hoping to win the coveted glitterball trophy – which last year went to Coronation Street star Ellie Leach.
Hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly are set to return this year, along with dancers including Dianne Buswell, Amy Dowden, Katya Jones, Gorka Marquez, Johannes Radebe and Vito Coppola – as well as Aljaz Skorjanec, who is back after two years away.
Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse, Craig Revel Horwood and Anton Du Beke are back in the judging hotseats.
Here are the celebrity contestants revealed so far for Strictly Come Dancing 2024.
Reality star Tasha Ghouri
Tasha Ghouri rose to fame on Love Island in 2022, the first deaf contestant to take part in the reality dating show.
She has since become a campaigner for the deaf community and worked with 10 Downing Street and the Department for Education, and also hosts a podcast, Superpowers With Tasha.
The 25-year-old, who was born deaf and uses a cochlear implant, is a trained dancer already, and hosted a beginners’ tap class with Strictly professional Johannes Radebe at a community hall in Cambridge, watched by the Queen, in February.
However, she has said she has not danced “in quite a few years” and that Strictly will be a different experience, with “new styles”.
Reality star Pete Wicks
After beginning his career in reality TV on ITVBe series The Only Way Is Essex in 2015, Pete Wicks moved on to other shows including E4’s Celebs Go Dating, BBC’s Celebrity MasterChef, and ITV’s The Real Full Monty. He also took part in Channel 4’s Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, but left early after being medically withdrawn.
Wicks was also among the celebrities trying to help one contestant succeed in the recent Channel 4 series The Underdog: Josh Must Win, and hosts a podcast called Staying Relevant with I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! winner Sam Thompson.
The 35-year-old is also friends with Thompson’s girlfriend Zara McDermott, who competed on Strictly herself last year and is one of the celebrities who has spoken to the BBC about allegations of abusive behaviour. However, McDermott was one of the first to share news of his announcement on social media – saying she had “never been so excited”.
Comedian Chris McCausland
Known for his appearances on panel shows including Have I Got News For You, QI, and 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown, as well as his own self-titled ITV programme, comedian Chris McCausland is the first blind contestant to compete on Strictly.
The 47-year-old, who was born in Liverpool, lost his sight due to retinitis pigmentosa, a hereditary eye disease that causes gradual degeneration of the retina.
He performed his first stand-up gig in 2003 and has also appeared as an actor in EastEnders, Not Going Out, and CBeebies show Me Too!
Following the Strictly announcement, he joked he must be the only contestant who has “never watched” the programme before.
He follows in the footsteps of Rose Ayling-Ellis, the show’s first deaf contestant, who won the coveted glitterball trophy back in 2021.
Opera singer and Go Compare ad star Wynne Evans
Welsh opera singer Wynne Evans looks a little different here – as he is best known as the moustachioed tenor from the Go Compare adverts.
Throughout his 25-year career, he has had two number one classical music albums, been a principal at many major opera houses around the world, and delivered more than 200 performances at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Born in Carmarthen, he was also crowned Celebrity MasterChef champion for 2023 and is a presenter on BBC Radio Wales.
After being unveiled, Evans said he was most looking forward to taking on the ballroom numbers, but is “nervous” for the lively dances.
Singer Toyah Willcox
Singer and actress Toyah Willcox fronted the new-wave band Toyah, known for tracks It’s A Mystery, I Want To Be Free and Thunder In The Mountains, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, before embarking on a solo music career.
She has also performed in numerous stage productions and featured in films including 1978 drama Jubilee, 2015 horror comedy Aaaaaaaah! and 2019 sci-fi Invasion Planet Earth.
In 2018, she received a Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts Companionship for outstanding achievement in music, drama, performance and media, presented by Sir Paul McCartney.
Earlier this year, she played at the Glastonbury Festival with her husband, musician Robert Fripp.
JLS star JB Gill
Singer JB Gill is no stranger to Strictly, having previously jived to Rockin’ Robin with professional dancer Ola Jordan for the Christmas special in 2012.
He had risen to fame four years earlier, alongside Marvin Humes, Aston Merrygold and Oritse Williams, as part of X Factor runners-up JLS.
The boyband went on to achieve five UK number one singles and a UK number one album, before splitting to pursue separate careers.
Following the band’s initial 2013 break-up, Gill later presented the BBC’s Songs Of Praise. He returned to the group for a reunion in 2020.
Singer and actor Shayne Ward
Shayne Ward was the winner of the second series of The X Factor back in 2005, and later went on to star in ITV soap Coronation Street as Underworld factory owner Aidan Connor.
In a storyline highlighting male depression and suicide, he left the show in 2018 – earning awards for best single episode and best storyline at the 2019 British Soap Awards, as well as a best soap exit honour at the 2018 Inside Soap Awards.
Ward also appeared in British horror movie Skendleby, and is the lead character in Channel 5 crime series The Good Ship Murder, starring as former police detective turned cruise singer Jack Grayling.
“I’m buzzing to see all of the sparkles and magic that is Strictly in real life,” he said after being announced for the show. “I’m no stranger to live TV, but dancing Latin and ballroom in front of millions is a whole new level.”
He said his two children with his fiancee, former Hollyoaks star Sophie Austin, are “super excited” to see him take part. Austin has also shared her support, saying she “can’t wait to see those hips move” in a post on Instagram.
Actress Sarah Hadland
Actress Sarah Hadland is best known as comedian Miranda Hart’s best friend Stevie Sutton in the semi-autobiographical BBC comedy Miranda.
She also appeared in the James Bond film Quantum Of Solace, starring in a scene with Daniel Craig, as well as comedy films Magicians and Learners, and had a main role on the ITV sitcom The Job Lot playing the nervous and lovelorn manager of a job centre.
Following her Strictly announcement, the 53-year-old said: “I cannot believe I am part of Strictly. I feel particularly excited to be part of such an iconic show in its 20th year. I’m so ready for the glitz, glam and glitter and hopefully I can make everyone watching at home proud.”
TV doctor Punam Krishan
Alongside her work as an NHS GP, Dr Punam Krishan is the resident doctor on the BBC breakfast programme Morning Live and BBC Radio Scotland’s phone-in surgery.
She also regularly reports on health news as a broadcaster on TV, radio and national newspapers.
The TV doctor previously co-hosted a podcast titled The Medic Mum and is the author of the children’s non-fiction book How To Be A Doctor And Other Life-Saving Jobs.
“This honestly feels like a dream come true,” she said, of being selected for Strictly.
EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick
Actor Jamie Borthwick is another celeb who has a little Strictly experience aleady – having taken to the dancefloor for last year’s Christmas special, which he won. The 30-year-old competed with professional dancer Nancy Xu, and impressed judges and the audience with his quickstep.
He has grown up in the spotlight, best known for playing Jay Brown in BBC soap EastEnders since 2006.
The 30-year-old has said he hopes his years of performing will serve him well.
“I’m used to drama so I’m really looking forward to it, it’s going to be a really good adventure,” he said.
He also said he signed up for the main show after having “such a fantastic time” on the Christmas special.
Olympic champion Tom Dean
Swimmer Tom Dean’s confirmation came as no surprise as he had already let slip he would be taking part in Strictly after reaching the final of the men’s 200m individual medley in the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The three-time Olympic champion won the men’s 200m freestyle title at Tokyo 2020. At this year’s Games, the 24-year-old from Bath – plus James Guy, Matt Richards and Duncan Scott – made history in the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay final, becoming the first swimming team ever to defend such a title with the same quartet.
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Dean also won seven medals at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, making him England’s most decorated athlete at the event.
Reflecting on whether his athletic experience will help him on Strictly, he said: “I think it’s so different. I’m so used to being in the water where there’s no gravity, there’s no impact.
“I don’t run, I don’t go for walks anywhere. I just do my swimming, and then I’m in the gym a bit, and that’s it.”
However, he hopes his swimming background will have prepared him for the intense training days and the competition element of the show.
Source : Sky News
