Former Love Island star Dani Dyer has expressed her immense joy at returning to Strictly Come Dancing as a contestant. The 29-year-old television personality will join the popular BBC dancing competition this autumn, following her withdrawal from last year's series due to an injury sustained before the show began.
Dani Dyer's Journey to Strictly
Dyer is best known for winning the ITV reality dating show Love Island in 2018. She also triumphed in this year's Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins and co-starred alongside her father, Rivals actor Danny Dyer, in their series The Dyers' Caravan Park.
She joins EastEnders star Lacey Turner, who was the first contestant announced for the 2026 star-studded lineup.
Dyer's Excitement
Dyer said: "I am so excited to be back in the ballroom this September. I just cannot wait to get my dancing shoes back on and hopefully this time around I can actually make it to week one. I'm just over the moon and cannot wait to find out who else is doing it."
The announcement was made on Thursday via the BBC Strictly Come Dancing official social media accounts.
Other Appearances and Personal Life
Dyer has also made guest appearances on Celebrity MasterChef, Celebrity Gogglebox, and EastEnders. She married West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen in May last year.
New Hosts for Upcoming Series
The news comes weeks after broadcaster Emma Willis, professional dancer Johannes Radebe, and comedian Josh Widdicombe were announced as the new hosts for the upcoming series. They will take over the ballroom from Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, who announced their departure from the show late last year.
The new series of Strictly Come Dancing will air this September and be available to stream on BBC One and iPlayer.
