Two more celebrities, EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick and Olympic gold medalist Tom Dean, have been confirmed for the upcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing.
The announcement was made on Thursday during Matt Richardson and Mollie King's BBC Radio 1 show.
Jamie Borthwick has played Jay Mitchell on the BBC soap since 2006 and earned Best Actor at the Inside Soap Awards in 2023.
The actor is no stranger to the Strictly ballroom, having previously won the Christmas Special last year with professional partner Nancy Xu.
He said: “I had a ball doing the Strictly Christmas special last year, so when I was asked to join for this series it was the easiest yes!
“This is a fresh challenge and it will be so different to be learning a new dance every week and for the public to have their say.
“I'm hoping to be Salsa-ing around Albert Square in no time and I'll be asking my Walford Strictly alumni for some words of wisdom. See you on the dancefloor!”
Meanwhile, three-time Olympic medal winner Dean shared his delight about signing up to the latest installment, sharing: “I am taking part in Strictly Come Dancing 2024!
“You may have heard me accidentally say it poolside first… but now I can officially talk about how excited I am to get stuck into something new, meet some brilliant people and get dancing. Bring it on!”
The swimmer’s involvement won’t come as a surprise to fans after he accidentally let slip that he’d be appearing on the show during a post-race interview following the men’s 200 metres individual medley at the Paris 2024 Olympics last Thursday.
The announcement follows news that Miranda star Sarah Hadland and X Factor winner turned Coronation Street actor Shayne Ward had signed up to the show.
Hadland, 53, is best known for her role as Stevie, Miranda’s quirky sidekick in the beloved BBC sitcom Miranda, shared the exciting news on Thursday’s Lorraine.
Appearing on Thursday’s Lorraine, the actress shared: “I cannot believe I am part of Strictly! I feel particularly excited to be part of such an iconic show in its 20th year.
“I’m so ready for the glitz, glam, and glitter, and hopefully, I can make everyone watching at home proud!”
Meanwhile, Ward, 39, rose to fame after winning the second season of TV singing competition The X Factor and later went on to star in ITV soap Coronation Street as former Underworld factory owner Aidan Connor.His Corrie character’s depression storyline earned a best single episode and the best storyline gongs at the 2019 British Soap Awards as well as a best soap exit honour at the 2018 Inside Soap Awards.
Ward also competed on Dancing On Ice in 2013 and recently appeared in the Channel 5 drama The Good Ship Murder alongside his former Corrie co-star Catherine Tyldesley.
Excited about his new challenge, he said: “I'm buzzing to see all of the sparkles and magic that is Strictly in real life.
“I'm no stranger to live TV, but dancing Latin and Ballroom in front of millions is a whole new level. No promises on my dancing ability, but I will give it my best shot!”
They join an already star-studded line-up, including Love Island's Tasha Ghouri, TOWIE's Pete Wicks, comedian Chris McCausland, JLS singer JB Gill, 80s rocker Toyah Wilcox, Morning Live's Dr. Punam Krishnan, and singer Wynne Evans.
The 2024 series is set to be a glittering affair celebrating 20 years of the show on BBC. Although, this year fans have declared the line-up so far as “underwhelming” and “disappointing”.
