Actor James Bye has been announced as one of 15 contestants on this year’s Strictly Come Dancing.
The rest of the line-up includes TV presenters, athletes, and pop stars.
Bye is best known for his role in EastEnders, in which he has played character Martin Fowler since 2014. He is the third actor to play the role.
Originally born in Basingstoke, he first appeared in The Bill in 2006 and then later in the film Cemetery Junction in 2010 ,before joining the cast of EastEnders.
The 33-year-old is a husband to Victoria Bye and father to their three boys Edward, Louis and Hugo.
Speaking about why he joined Strictly, Bye said: “I wanted to use this opportunity to show my kids that with a bit of hard work and perseverance you can achieve anything. So I guess that’s a sort of a glorified parenting technique, I’m using Strictly to parent my children.
“Since I’ve mentioned that daddy’s going to be a dancer, there’s been a lot more interest now watching daddy dance around the kitchen while making dinner. My other reason is that my in-laws are huge fans, they’ll be wanting tickets and maybe even the spray tan.”
Strictly Come Dancing’s live shows will air on Saturday nights on BBC One.
