And so it begins.... Today the first celebrities for this year's series of Strictly Come Dancing are being revealed and I'll be updating this post with the latest names to be revealed by the BBC.
Katie Piper
Best-selling international author, inspirational speaker, TV presenter and charity campaigner
Katie Piper is the first celebrity contestant confirmed for the brand new series of Strictly Come Dancing.
Speaking about joining the show, Katie said “I feel so privileged and excited to be part of my favourite show on TV. I already know how much of an amazing experience it will be for me and I can’t wait to show my girls some of my new dance moves. I’m nervous to put on my dancing shoes but can’t wait to learn a new skill and have the Strictly tan and makeover!”
Katie made the decision to share her story in a remarkable film for the Cutting Edge strand on Channel 4 called Katie: My Beautiful Face which was watched by over 3.5m viewers and nominated for Best Single Documentary at the BAFTA Television Awards in 2010.
The news was revealed this morning (Monday 13th August) on BBC Breakfast on BBC One.
Faye Tozer
Singer
The second celebrity contestant confirmed for the brand new series of Strictly Come Dancing is Steps singer Faye Tozer.
Speaking about joining the series, Faye said “Being on Strictly is literally a dream come true! It’s everything my 9 year old self ever wanted from showbiz and I’m going to relish every moment!”
Faye is best known for her part in the UK’s most successful mixed-sex pop group of all time, Steps. Formed in 1997 they went on to release over 17 singles and 4 studio albums selling over 20 million records in the UK, Europe, Asia, Australasia and the US in a five year period. Faye also enjoyed TV presenting during this time including the Pepsi Chart Show and SM:TV.
After Steps disbanded in 2001 Faye teamed up with Russell Watson gaining a Top 10 hit with Someone Like You. Faye began her theatrical career in 2004 with Andrew Lloyd Webber's Tell Me On A Sunday and has gone on to gain many theatrical roles.
In 2011 Steps successfully reunited with hit Sky Living TV shows Steps - The Reunion and On the Road again and celebrated with a 22-date sell out Arena tour and another No.1 Album.
The news was revealed this evening (Monday 13th August) on BBC One’s The One Show.
Danny John-Jules
Actor
Danny John-Jules is the third celebrity contestant confirmed for the brand new series of Strictly Come Dancing.
Speaking about joining Strictly, Danny said “Having spent the last few months on two wheels motorcycling around South America in pink leathers, I’m absolutely delighted to be getting back on two feet and into something more comfortable like glittery spandex.”
Danny John-Jules is a British actor most famous for playing the character Cat in the sci-fi comedy series, Red Dwarf.
Other recognisable roles include the policeman Dwayne Myers in the long running BBC hit crime drama, Death In Paradise and Barrington in the BBC comedy Maid Marian And Her Merry Men. Danny also starred in CBBC children's spy drama M.I. High, in which he portrayed Lenny Bicknall, the caretaker.
The news was revealed this evening (Monday 13th August) on BBC One’s The One Show.
Joe Sugg
YouTuber
Joe Sugg is the fourth celebrity contestant confirmed for the brand new series of Strictly Come Dancing.
Speaking about joining Strictly, Joe said "I'm honestly so chuffed to be involved in the show this year! Not going to lie, I’m very nervous about it, it's totally out of my comfort zone and I know it will be a huge challenge but that's what life is all about I guess.
Funnily enough I’m writing this statement whilst on the way to surprise my grandparents with the news. They are going to be so happy which will definitely make up for any embarrassment or cringe caused by my questionable rhythm.”
Joe Sugg is a British YouTuber, filmmaker, author and vlogger. As of 2018 he has over 25 million followers and is an international star. His videos consist of challenges, pranks, impressions and gaming, across his three YouTube channels.
Joe is the author of the tremendously successful graphic novel series Username: Evie, which was the fastest selling graphic novel of all time. He also wrote, starred and executive produced the travelogue specials Joe and Caspar: Hit the Road and Hit the Road USA, with best friend – Caspar Lee, which set pre-order DVD sales records for Amazon, and both of which are available on Netflix.
His pop-up merchandise store recently attracted so many fans that the traffic in Covent Garden was brought to a standstill. He has recently launched a new company to manage emerging digital talent.
The news was revealed this morning (Tuesday 14th August) on BBC Radio One’s Breakfast Show presented by Scott Mills.
Vick Hope
Presenter
Vick Hope is the fifth celebrity contestant confirmed for the brand new series of Strictly Come Dancing.
Speaking about joining Strictkly, Vick says "I’m so excited about being a contestant on this year’s Strictly. I’ve always been such a massive fan of the show so it’s a huge honour to be part of this series.
Dances like Ballroom and Latin are totally outside my comfort zone but I love dancing, it makes people happy - myself included. To be able to perform every Saturday is such an incredible opportunity. I couldn’t be looking forward to it any more and I will be throwing myself into it, working hard and learning from the judges every week.”
A Nigerian-Geordie with a degree from Cambridge University, Vick is a multilingual, multi-skilled and multifaceted young presenter making waves in the multi-platform world of broadcast. She is currently presenting the Capital Breakfast show every morning with Roman Kemp and also hosts 4Music Trending Live and Box Fresh.
Vick is also a mainstay reporter for ITN where she produces, scripts, edits and presents news and entertainment bulletins. In 2018 Vick joined The Voice UK and The Voice Kids as the digital reporter, as well as fronting Sky One’s Carnage alongside Freddie Flintoff and Lethal Bizzle.
The news was revealed this morning on the Capital Breakfast show presented by Roman Kemp, Vick Hope and Sonny Jay.
Graeme Swann
Cricketer
Graeme Swann is the sixth celebrity contestant confirmed for the brand new series of Strictly Come Dancing.
Speaking about joining Strictly, Graeme said“It’s true - I’ve signed up for Strictly! I’m hoping to follow in the footsteps of the cricketers who’ve come before me who’ve either won the whole thing or had an absolute ball on the show.
Keeping it under wraps from my kids has been nearly impossible; they are huge fans of the show and I can’t wait to see their faces when I tell them. I don’t have any background in dancing but can do the floss so let’s hope this comes in useful!”
Graeme is a world-renowned cricketer who began his England career in a one-day international at Bloemfontein but he wasn’t to make his Test debut for eight years, after spending time honing his skills at his home county club of Northampton and subsequently Nottinghamshire.
His 2008 Test debut as part of the England team against India at Chennai was a turning point in his career and he went on to become one of our greatest ever spin bowlers. Graeme was part of the victorious England team who claimed the Ashes back from Australia, where he delivered the winning wicket to secure the victory. He is also a popular commentator on Test Match Special for the BBC.
The news was revealed this afternoon (Wednesday 15th August) on BBC Radio 2’s Drivetime show presented by Angela Scanlon and OJ Borg.
Dr Ranj
Television Doctor
Dr Ranj Singh is the seventh celebrity contestant confirmed for the brand new series of Strictly Come Dancing.
Speaking about joining Strictly Dr Ranj said “I'm so overwhelmed and excited to be part of this wonderful show. It's an absolute dream come true for me! I've been a massive fan for so long, and I can't quite believe this is happening, but I'm going to give it my best shot. Anyone that knows me knows that I love a bit of sparkle... so bring on the glitter! I can’t wait!”
Dr Ranj is one of the resident doctors on ITV’s This Morning, specialising in the wellbeing of young people, and still works shifts in A&E and the intensive care unit at his local NHS hospital.
He is also the co-creating host of BAFTA award-winning CBeebies series, Get Well Soon and co-presenter of ITV's brand new prime-time series Save Money: Good Health.
As well as these shows, Dr Ranj can regularly be seen on other programmes as wide-ranging as: BBC's Pointless Celebrities, Inside Out, Celebrity Eggheads and Watchdog; ITV's Good Morning Britain and Tonight; Channel 5's Big Brother's Bit On The Side and 5 News.
The news was revealed today (Thursday 16th August) on ITV's This Morning presented by Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford.
Stacey Dooley
Documentary-maker
Stacey Dooley is the eighth celebrity contestant confirmed for the brand new series of Strictly Come Dancing.
Speaking about joining Strictly, Stacey said “It’s happening! I'm taking part in Strictly Come Dancing this year and my mother is going to explode. 2018 has already been such an incredible year for me, I’ve done some amazing things and I’m excited to add ‘becoming a dancing GENIUS’ to the list!
Typically, work for me is very serious and can be quite hard core so I'm going to soak up the escapism and bathe in the sequins. See you on the dancefloor!”
Stacey Dooley is one of Britain's most celebrated documentary presenters who earlier this year was awarded an MBE for her services to broadcasting. Stacey has been making television programmes for nine years after life took an unexpected turn when, whilst working as a shop assistant, she took part in a BBC Three series travelling to India to explore the fashion industry making clothes for the UK High Street.
Since then she has embarked on presenting a series of hard-hitting shows with Stacey Dooley Investigates. In 2016 she travelled to Syria and presented the critically acclaimed BBC Three documentary, Stacey Dooley on The Frontline: Gun Girls and ISIS.
She won the One World Media Award for her face-to-face interview with an ISIS solider, and last year she released her debut book On the Front Line with the Women Who Fight Back, which made it on to The Sunday Times Bestsellers List.
The news was revealed this afternoon (Thursday 16th August) via the BBC Strictly Come Dancing social media channels.
Ashley Roberts
Singer and Presenter
Ashley Roberts is the ninth celebrity contestant confirmed for the brand new series of Strictly Come Dancing.
Speaking about joining Strictly Ashley said “I am beyond excited and grateful to be part of the Strictly family! I’m going to put my heart and soul into this new adventure and can’t wait to have fun with the team! Bring on the sequins, glitz and glamour!”
Ashley Roberts is a skilled presenter, musician and actress best known for being a member of one of the biggest girl groups in the world – The Pussycat Dolls. During her seven years in The Pussycat Dolls the group sold over 54 million records worldwide and won multiple music awards.
Since leaving the group in 2010, Ashley has had a successful broadcast career, with credits that include regular appearances on Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway (ITV), judging on Dancing On Ice (ITV) and Let It Shine (BBC One), starring roles in Keith Lemon’s comedy series Coming In America (ITV2) and The Keith Lemon Sketch Show (ITV2) and appearances on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! (ITV) and The Jump (Channel 4).
The news was revealed this morning (Friday 17th August) on BBC Radio 2’s Chris Evans Breakfast Show.
Kate Silverton
Broadcaster
Kate Silverton is the tenth celebrity contestant confirmed for the brand new series of Strictly Come Dancing.
Speaking about joining Strictly, Kate said“I’m excited to confirm that I will be swapping the newsroom for the ballroom and joining this year’s wonderful Strictly family. It’s something of a departure for a news journalist, shifting focus from the headlines to my hemlines and I suspect the only serious element of my life over the coming months will be in training hard and figuring out the foxtrot… but I am so looking forward to the fun, laughter and all the challenges ahead.”
Kate Silverton is one of the most popular and accomplished broadcasters in the country. She is a main anchor for BBC News across the One, Six and Ten o’clock programmes. An extremely experienced journalist she has reported from the frontline in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
Her experience of motherhood has encouraged a return to her academic roots in child psychology and she now combines her journalism with her passion for raising awareness about mental health issues relevant to both children and adults.
The news was revealed this evening (Friday 17th August) on BBC One’s The One Show.
Seann Walsh
Comedian
Seann Walsh is the eleventh celebrity contestant confirmed for the brand new series of Strictly Come Dancing.
Speaking about joining Strictly, Seann said “Having seen videos of me dancing on friends’ phones from the night before, it’s safe to say I’m petrified but also so excited. I’m really looking forward to the lifts, the Lycra and the laughs, although as Craig would probably say 'dancing is no laughing matter dahhhhling…’”
Seann Walsh is one of the best live comedians working in the UK today, he has recently returned from performing in America, where he made his USA television debut appearance on late night chat show, Conan. He is well-known for his role in Jack Dee’s ITV sitcom Bad Move, the second series of which will be aired this autumn.
Seann is a regular face on TV with appearances as team captain on Virtually Famous and as a regular on Play To The Whistle. Other appearances include Live At The Apollo (BBC Two), The Jonathan Ross Show (ITV), Tonight at The London Palladium (ITV), Celebrity Juice (ITV2), 8 Out Of 10 Cats (Channel 4), Alan Carr’s Chatty Man (Channel 4) and Russell Howard's Stand Up Central (Comedy Central).
The news was revealed this evening (Friday 17th August) on BBC One’s The One Show.
Lee Ryan
Singer and Actor
Lee Ryan is the twelfth celebrity contestant confirmed for the brand new series of Strictly Come Dancing.
Speaking about joining Strictly Lee said“I’m so excited to be joining this year’s Strictly line-up. It is a real honour for me and I can’t wait to get out on the dance floor.”
Lee Ryan is most well-known for being a part of super successful boy band Blue and more recently playing EastEnders bad-boy Woody Woodward.
Lee rose to fame in the early 2000s as part of Blue along with Simon Webbe, Antony Costa and Duncan James. The band had three UK number one albums and sold 16 million records worldwide. After a six-year hiatus they reunited in 2011 to represent the UK in the Eurovision song contest with their track I Can, coming 11th in the competition.
Since taking part in the 2013 show The Big Reunion (ITV2) they have released a further two albums. During his time away from the band, Lee embarked on a solo singing career, his self-titled album charting at number six in the UK charts in 2005.
In 2017 fans were sent into a frenzy when Lee made his EastEnders debut playing bad-boy “Woody” Woodward. He played the role for just over a year and went on to receive the 2017 Inside Soap Award nomination for Best Newcomer.
The news was revealed this afternoon (Monday 20th August) on ITV’s Loose Women.
Lauren Steadman
Paratriathlete
Lauren Steadman is the thirteenth celebrity contestant confirmed for the brand new series of Strictly Come Dancing.
Speaking about joining Strictly, Lauren said “I still don’t think it has properly sunk in that I’m actually going to be part of this year’s Strictly! I have loved the show since I was young, and it’s a huge thing to tick off my bucket list. I’m more nervous about being on stage, performing live and in front of the judges than I am about the Elite Paratriathlon Grand Final next month! But I’m up for the challenge and excited to swap my triathlon kit for dancing shoes and sequins.”
Lauren Steadman is a double World Champion Paratriathlete, Paralympic Silver medallist and six times European Champion. She was born missing her lower right arm, but this has only spurred her on to be the best she can be, and she relishes the challenge of overcoming these barriers.
Lauren started her sporting career in swimming at the age of 11, with her first international competition at age 13 in Denmark. At 14, she went to Beijing Paralympics Games at which point her career really took off. Such was her talent, Lauren switched sports from swimming to triathlon after London 2012’s Paralympic Games where she then went on to win silver at Rio 2016 in the sport’s inaugural inclusion at the Games.
This September Lauren will be competing in the Elite Paratriathlon Grand Final in the Gold Coast Australia, she heads there as the European Champion and will be hoping to regain her World Champion Title.
The news was revealed this evening (Monday 20th August) on BBC One’s The One Show.
Charles Venn
Actor
Charles Venn is the fourteenth celebrity contestant confirmed for the brand new series of Strictly Come Dancing.
Speaking about joining Strictly Charles said “It truly is a pleasure to be a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing, to be associated with a show that has such a huge following excites and scares me in equal measure! Dancing on Strictly is going to be quite a challenge but life’s all about testing yourself so there’s lots to look forward to, let the games begin..!”
Charles Venn is an actor best known for his roles in Casualty (BBC One) as nurse Jacob Masters, in EastEnders (BBC One) as Ray Dixon, in Dream Team (Sky One) as Curtis Alexander and Footballers’ Wives (ITV) as Tremaine Gidigbi.
The news was revealed this morning (Tuesday 21st August) on ITV’s Good Morning Britain.
Susannah Constantine
Television Presenter
Susannah Constantine is the fifteenth and final celebrity contestant confirmed for the brand new series of Strictly Come Dancing.
Speaking about joining Strictly Susannah said “I hope to prove pigs can fly (dance). Sick with nerves and jangling with excitement.”
Susannah Constantine is a television presenter, fashion journalist, style advisor, author and designer. Susannah began her career working in fashion for Giorgio Armani and John Galliano before she met Trinny Woodall in 1994, with whom she proceeded to write a weekly fashion column for the Daily Telegraph which ran for seven years.
The pair went on to co-host the hugely successful BBC One show What Not to Wear from 2001 to 2005 and then moved to ITV to make Trinny & Susannah Undress, and Undress the Nation, they also frequently appeared as makeover stylists on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
It is estimated that Trinny & Susannah’s various style advice books have sold in excess of 2.5 million copies in Britain and the United States. Susannah's debut novel, After the Snow, was published to great acclaim last year and the paperback is out this autumn, she is currently writing the sequel which is due out in 2019.
The news was revealed this morning (Tuesday 21st August) on ITV’s Good Morning Britain.