Former England footballer turned pundit Shaun Wright-Phillips has signed up for Strictly Come Dancing. The 44-year-old was announced as the latest star to be joining the upcoming 2026 season on Thursday.
He said: “Dancing is in my blood – but mainly at family events! Strictly is definitely outside my comfort zone, but I’m super excited to get started and really looking forward to the challenge!”
Wright-Phillips' Football Career
Wright-Phillips earned 36 caps for England during a professional career that saw him play for Manchester City, Chelsea, Queens Park Rangers, and the USA’s New York Red Bulls and Phoenix Rising FC.
Now a football pundit and broadcaster, he has worked with the BBC, Sky Sports, ITV, and the Premier League. He has also been a Manchester City club ambassador since 2020 and is the son of football legend Ian Wright.
Strictly Come Dancing 2026 Lineup
Wright-Phillips joins Lacey Turner, Dani Dyer, Delta Goodrem, Chris Appleton, Cach Mercer, Will Best, Dame Sarah Storey, Jaime Winstone and Bethany Antonia in the 2026 Strictly Come Dancing line-up.
Five new professional dancers are joining the show this year: Aleksandra Isaeva, Cristian Priori, Lethabo Monametsi, Maddie Ingoldsby and Mark Karmalita.
New Hosts
The upcoming series will be hosted by three new faces – broadcaster Emma Willis, professional dancer Johannes Radebe and comedian Josh Widdicombe. They replace Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, who announced they were leaving the show late last year.
Further celebrities joining the line-up will be announced throughout the summer ahead of the new series airing on BBC One and iPlayer this September.
