Dani Dyer has been confirmed as the second celebrity contestant for Strictly Come Dancing 2026, returning to the ballroom after withdrawing from the 2025 series due to injury. The announcement was made on Thursday 11 June via the show's official social media channels on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.
Dani, a TV personality, broadcaster, and author, won Love Island in 2018 and has since amassed 3.7 million social media followers. She also won Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins this year and co-stars with her father in the series The Dyers Caravan Park. Her previous TV work includes documentaries Is This Anxiety? and Greggs v McDonalds, as well as appearances on Celebrity MasterChef, Celebrity Gogglebox, and EastEnders. She is a best-selling author with her debut book What Would Dani Do? reaching Number 4 on the Sunday Times Bestsellers list. Dani married Jarrod Bowen in May last year.
Dani originally joined the cast of Strictly 2025 but had to withdraw before the competition began due to an injury. Speaking about her return, she 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!'
Further celebrity contestants for Strictly Come Dancing 2026 will be revealed throughout the summer. The new series begins in September on BBC One and iPlayer, where viewers can already add the show to their watchlist.
