Strictly Come Dancing has begun to reveal the celebrities taking part in its 20th anniversary series.
Comedian Chris McCausland has officially confirmed himself as a celebrity contestant for Strictly 2024 on This Morning where he joked he's "obviously never watched" the show, and said his preferred style of dancing was "headbanging and mosh pits".
Olympic swimmer Tom Dean was named as the first cast member of the series after letting the news slip at Paris 2024 following reaching the final of the men's 200m individual medley on 1 August.
Dean said that he would be looking to his teammate Adam Peaty, who took part in Strictly in 2021, for advice saying: "I’ll be getting a few tips from him, for sure."
It comes as the BBC One flagship show has been hit by a series of controversies that have rocked its previously stellar reputation. Past contestants - including Amanda Abbington, Zara McDermott and Will Bayley - have complained about their Strictly experience.
Pro dancer Giovanni Pernice is not returning after a complaint from his 2023 partner Abbington about his behaviour during training. BBC are investigating, including looking at footage from the rehearsal room. Pernice has denied the claims and said, "I look forward to clearing my name".
Meanwhile, pro dancer Graziano Di Prima was dropped from the cast after a review of his training room footage allegedly raised concerns about his conduct towards 2023 partner Zara McDermott, who said she found watching it back "incredibly distressing".
Strictly fans will be hoping that the series returns with plenty of magic and sparkle to see it into its next 20 years. The 2024 pro cast is now as follows: Aljaz Skorjanec, Amy Dowden, Gorka Marquez, Nikita Kuzmin, Vito Coppola, Dianne Buswell, Nadiya Bychkova, Karen Hauer, Katya Jones, Johannes Radebe, Neil Jones, Kai Widdrington, Luba Mushtuk, Jowita Przystal, Nancy Xu, Carlos Gu, Lauren Oakley, Michelle Tsiakkas. So who will they be dancing with?
We take a look at the celebrities announced so far who are hoping to lift the 2024 Glitterball Trophy.
Chris McCausland
Comedian Chris McCausland has been officially confirmed as the first celebrity contestant for Strictly 2024. The stand-up comic – who lost his sight 24 years ago at 22 because of hereditary condition Retinitis Pigmentosa – appeared on This Morning where he joked he's "obviously never watched" the show, and said his preferred style of dancing was "headbanging and mosh pits".
McCausland had previously confirmed he was in talks to do the show during an appearance on This Morning.
As the announcement was made official he told Josie Gibson and Craig Doyle: "This is literally the worst kept secret that has ever been in television Ben [Shephard]'s talked about it on this show. He texted me and said, 'Are you going to do Strictly then?'"
But McCausland admitted he was feeling "massively apprehensive" about competing on the BBC dance show. He said: "I don't know what I'm getting myself into, I've never watched it, obviously! I might as well just play some music. " He added: "I don't dance, I've never danced. I grew up with headbanging and mosh pits. So I'm looking forward to mosh pit week."
McCausland said of his signing being leaked: "I kept it a secret so good and then it was in the papers, so at least now I can admit it instead of going, 'I don't know what your'e on about.'"
McCausland is a successful comedian and is known as a regular panelist on current affairs show Have I Got News For You. In 2023 he took part in Channel 4 reality show Scared of the Dark.
Tom Dean
Olympic swimmer Tom Dean appeared to break with Strictly protocol by going ahead and announcing his own name for the cast at Paris 2024 on 1 August.
After making the final for the men's 200m individual medley, he spoke about his post-Olympic plans.
Dean, who has already won a gold at the Paris Games as part of the 4x200m freestyle relay team, said: "Naturally you want to take a break after you’ve had a full Olympic cycle and the opportunity arose.
"I thought it would be really exciting to try something a bit different. I’ll be doing that and straight back into training after it. It’s something to look forward to."
He also added that he would be looking to another Team GB swimmer, Adam Peaty who took part in Strictly 2021, for support: "I’ve not seen (Adam Peaty) yet. He did brilliantly on it so I’ll be getting a few tips from him, for sure.”
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