Strictly Come Dancing confirms first two contestants including first blind dancer Chris McCausland

Chris McCausland: ‘The best way to represent a disability is to make people forget about it whenever possible.’ Photograph: Matt Crockett

The comedian Chris McCausland will be the first blind contestant to compete in Strictly Come Dancing when the show returns this year. In a first for the long-running BBC dance competition, which this year marked its 20th anniversary, it confirmed the participation of McCausland, known for playing Rudi in the CBeebies show Me Too!.

The 46-year-old Liverpudlian comedian lost his eyesight in his early 20s as a result of retinitis pigmentosa, a hereditary condition. This diagnosis prompted a career change for McCausland: before joining the entertainment industry, he had worked in web development.