The countdown for the upcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing has officially begun, with BBC viewers set to see a host of well-known personalities on the dance floor. Paralympian Dame Sarah Storey was recently announced as the seventh celebrity to participate, joining a line-up that includes radio personality Will Best, Love Island's Cach Mercer, hair stylist Chris Appleton, singer Delta Goodrem, reality TV star Dani Dyer, and EastEnders' Lacey Turner.
Ben Shephard's Strictly Ban
While more names are expected over the coming weeks, one famous face won't be on the show. This Morning's Ben Shephard revealed on Good Morning Britain why he won't compete, humorously stating he's been prohibited by his wife.
Speaking with Andi Peters, Shephard said: "Andi, I would love to do Strictly. As you know, I spent three years at university learning to dance, I have a degree in dance - it doesn't make me a good dancer, obviously. But my wife really doesn't want me to do Strictly, I've spoken about it very publicly, but she's not interested in me having an affair."
He added: "I think she's being very narrow-minded and it could be a great opportunity, who knows what could happen? It would be an amazing experience, I love a bit of spangle and glamour on a Saturday night. As things stand, though, that's a negotiation that needs to happen between the BBC and my wife. I can get myself into a lot of trouble here."
New Presenters and Pro Dancers
Viewers can look forward to three new faces this autumn as Emma Willis, Strictly pro Johannes Radebe, and comedian Josh Widdicombe will oversee the ballroom action. They replace Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daley.
Several professional dancers, including Karen Hauer, Gorka Márquez, Nadiya Bychkova, Luba Mushtuk, and Michelle Tsiakkas, will not return. However, Dianne Buswell, Julian Caillon, Amy Dowden, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Jowita Przystał, Aljaž Škorjanec, Alexis Warr, Kai Widdrington, Nancy Xu, Carlos Gu, Lauren Oakley, and Vito Coppola have been confirmed to return.
Strictly Come Dancing will air on BBC One this autumn.
