Meet the celebrities taking part in Strictly Come Dancing 2021
This year’s line-up is shaping up nicely.
Eight celebrity contestants have been announced so far for Strictly Come Dancing 2021.
Here is a rundown of who will be putting their best foot forward on the dance floor:
1. Dan Walker
The BBC Breakfast host says he is “definitely excited, a little bit worried, mostly terrified and a small part of me is considering going into hiding!”
He added: “My kids have only ever asked me to go on two shows... Saturday Mash Up and Strictly. I did Saturday Mash Up this summer so... it’s time to embrace the sequins.”
Walker, announced earlier this year he was stepping down after 12 years at the helm of BBC Football Focus.
He also presented BBC’s Olympic Breakfast throughout the recent sporting event in Tokyo.
2. Katie McGlynn
The actress was the seventh contestant announced.
Best known for her role as Sinead Tinker in Coronation Street, she said keeping the news of being in Strictly a secret had been “so hard”.
She added: “I’m really not a dancer, but I’m so excited to learn a new skill on this crazy journey and cannot wait to slip into some sequins along the way.
“Although I do get to have so much fun as an actress, a lot of my roles have involved quite serious and challenging storylines, so I’m fully ready to let my hair down and do something different, even if it is completely outside of my comfort zone.
“I can’t promise that I’ll be the best, but I’m going to give it 110% on the dance floor!
“As long as I don’t fall over I’ll be happy.”
3. Sara Davies
The Dragon’s Den star and entrepreneur will switch business for the ballroom as she joins the line-up.
She said: “My mam and dad are going to be so excited.
“I’m really nervous because so far the producers keep asking me if I can dance.
“Truth be told – I haven’t got a clue!
“I’ve not danced since I did ballet lessons when I was little.
“The business world has taught me that tenacity, drive and determination deliver results, I hope that I can bring that to the dancefloor.
“And I’m excited to see the impact of all those hours of training on my mum tum!”
4. Tom Fletcher
Fletcher is the lead vocalist and guitarist of pop band McFly, who have produced six albums and seven number one singles.
The 36-year-old is the main writer on many of the boy band’s hits and is also credited with penning songs for One Direction and Busted.
He married longtime girlfriend Giovanna in 2012 and his wedding speech, which riffed on some of McFly’s greatest hits, later went viral after he uploaded it to his YouTube channel.
The couple have continued to document their lives together, including three creative baby announcement videos which delighted fans.
Giovanna, who is a bestselling author, won the 20th series of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in 2020.
5. Robert Webb
The actor and comedian is best known for appearing alongside David Mitchell in Channel 4 comedy Peep Show, where he plays unemployed musician Jez, or in sketch show That Mitchell And Webb Look.
The 48-year-old has also regularly appeared on comedy panels for Have I Got News For You, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, QI and Mastermind.
Webb read English at Robinson College, Cambridge and joined the university’s theatre club Footlights, where he met Mitchell.
In 2020, he had major heart surgery after a routine medical check during filming for the second series of his sitcom Back revealed he had a heart murmur caused by a mitral valve prolapse.
Webb has also produced a memoir, How Not To Be A Boy, based on his life growing up in Lincolnshire, and in 2020 he published his first novel, Come Again, and Olivia Colman narrated the audiobook version.
6. AJ Odudu
Odudu began her career as a reporter for BBC Blast on Radio Lancashire and went on to co-host the spin-off Big Brother’s Bit On The Side with Emma Willis and Rylan Clark-Neal and produce the documentary Manhunting With My Mum in Nigeria.
The 33-year-old has also done backstage reporting for The Voice UK and The Voice Kids UK.
She is a qualified personal trainer and sports nutritionist and was appointed as a contributing editor to Grazia magazine in 2021.
Recently she appeared in ITV series Cooking With The Stars and is hosting ITV’s new gameshow Apocalypse Wow, which sees celebrities compete in a series of physical challenges in a bid to win money for charity.
She will join Bafta-winning comedian Mo Gilligan to host a one-off special of morning show The Big Breakfast for Channel 4’s Black To Front day in September, a project which celebrates black talent in the TV industry.
7. John Whaite
The former winner of The Great British Bake off will be part of Strictly’s first all-male partnership.
The chef and cookery author said: “I’m so grateful, excited and nervous to be joining the Strictly 2021 family.
“I’ve been wearing sequins and jazzy attire since I was three years old and can’t wait to hurl myself, full throttle, around the most glamorous dance floor on earth.
“What’s more exciting for me is that I’m going to be one half of the first all-male partnership, which is a great step forward in representation and inclusion.
“Whoever it is I’m paired with, I hope they are up for a challenge as I want our routines to include lots of spectacular lifts.”
8. Rhys Stephenson
The CBBC host said: “I am buzzing to be a part of Strictly Come Dancing 2021. I have dreamt about being on this show, and I know for a fact that it is going to exceed every expectation.
“I cannot wait to experience it all: the costumes, the orchestra, even Craig’s glare! I am ready!”
