The celebrity contestants heading for the BBC dance contest's ballroom this year are being confirmed
The line-up of celebrities heading for the ballroom in Strictly Come Dancing is officially being revealed as fans seemingly had to wait longer for the announcements to begin.
The sun may be shining, but we can already feel the autumn nights approaching, during which we'll have the sounds of 'Da-da-da-da-da-da-daah' filling our eardrums until Christmas
The BBC One dance contest is now a matter of weeks away from returning to screens and up until now, all fans have known is that Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman will be back as hots, with Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke returning to the judging panel.
Those who follow the hit show also know which professional dancers will be back in the ballroom this year. It was back in April that Amy Dowden, Nadiya Bychkova, Karen Hauer, Nikita Kuzmin, Neil Jones, Gorka Marquez and Luba Mushtuk were confirmed to be involved in the 2025 series.
Dianne Buswell, Katya Jones, Jowita Przystal, Johannes Radebe, Michelle Tsiakkas, Aljaž Škorjanec, Kai Widdrington, Nancy Xu, Carlos Gu, Lauren Oakley and Vito Coppola will also take to the ballroom once more.
But that wasn't actually the complete line-up, as when the initial announcement was made, it was also revealed that two brand new professional dancers will be making their debuts when the competition show returns.
The newcomers have since been revealed as So You Think You Can Dance champion Alexis Warr and Australia’s Dancing With The Stars' Julian Caillon and they were seen joining the pros in preparation for Strictly's next run, with the group numbers set to be pre-recorded before the main series gets underway.
Now though, the first contestants for Strictly 2025 were confirmed on Monday (August 11), including a Gladiator and a former Love Island winner.
Harry Aikines-Aryeetey
Harry is best known for competing on the Bradley and Barney Walsh version of Gladiators, where he goes by the name Nitro and takes on members of the public in physical challenges.
The multi gold medal-winning Team GB sprinter, who was the first athlete to win gold medals at both 100 and 200 metres at the World Youth Championships, has already appeared on Strictly once before as he took part in last year's Christmas special with Nancy Xu.
Harry shared: "After the Christmas Special, it was so nice I just had to do it twice! I’m so excited to be part of the Strictly family this series and I’m ready to give it all I’ve got. I’ll be bringing tons of energy to light up the dance floor. Let’s hope I’m as quick picking up the routines as I am on the track."
Dani Dyer
The daugther of former EastEnders star Danny Dyer rose to fame on the fourth season of Love Island, which she won with her ex-Jack Fincham.
Following her success on the reality dating show, Dani has fronted documentaries such as Is This Anxiety?, has teamed up with her father Danny for podcast Live and Let Dyers and has made guest appearances in EastEnders and Celebrity Gogglebox.
Boasting over three million social media followers, she is a published author with her debut book What Would Dani Do, and tied the knot to West Ham footballer Jarrod Bowen in May this year.
Teasing what to expect, she said: "Getting the opportunity to be on Strictly is the second most amazing thing I’ve done this year! I feel very very blessed and cannot wait to get my dancing shoes on."
Alex Kingston
Doctor Who fans are going to be buzzing at the news of Alex Kingston's announcement, with the actress playing River Song on the BBC sci-fi series from 2008 until 2015.
Outside of her time travelling with the Doctor, Alex rose to fame s Dr Elizabeth Corday in the global hit TV drama ER, winning a SAG award in the process during her eight years on the medical programme.
Other television work from Ralph Fiennes former wife includes Douglas Is Cancelled, Treason, Gilmore Girls, Boudica, Lost in Austen, Dodger, A Discovery of Witches, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Arrow.
On joining Strictly Come Dancing, Alex simply told the BBC: ”Aaaaagghhh!!!!!!”
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, best known for banging the goals in the Premier League and across Europe, is swapping his football boots for a pair of dancing shoes.
The retired Dutch footballer played for Leeds United, Atlético Madrid and Chelsea, earning a reputation for his power, pace, and precision during his playing career.
Since retiring, Jimmy has become a familiar face in football punditry for major UK sports networks, managed clubs like Burton Albion and Northampton Town and even served as an assistant coach for the England national team.
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Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink said of joining Strictly: “Swapping the pitch for the ballroom is certainly not something I’ve done before but I’m looking forward to tackling a fun challenge! Bring on a new type of footwork, with hopefully no own goals.”
This story will be updated as more celebs are announced.
