Strictly Come Dancing 2025 Line-Up Revealed: The Shock Celebrity Cast You Didn’t See Coming

Strictly is back in a few days, which means sequins, spray tans, and 15 brave famous faces attempting to look graceful on live TV. The new series kicks off with the launch show, the pros, the full cast, and yes, a big group number to show us who can keep time and who can fake it with charm.

When it starts and what the launch show includes

Strictly Come Dancing returns on Saturday 20 September at 6:40pm on BBC One and iPlayer. The launch show will bundle everyone onto the floor for a full-cast group routine with all 15 celebs and their pro partners, and there will be a performance from reigning champions Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell.

The 15 celebs lacing up their ballroom shoes

• Lewis Cope (30) - Actor - Instagram: @lewiscope
  Emmerdale fans will know him as Nicky Milligan, the role that landed him an NTA Rising Star nomination in 2023. Elsewhere on TV: Vera, Mrs Sidhu Investigates, and Hetty Feather.
• Harry Aikines-Aryeetey (36) - TV personality and Olympian - Instagram: @aikines
  Team GB sprinter turned Gladiator (Nitro). At 17, he was BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year after pulling off the rare 100m/200m double at the World Youth Championships. He did the Strictly Christmas special and clearly got the bug, promising to bring the same energy he used on the track to the ballroom.
• Dani Dyer (28) - TV personality - Instagram: @danidyerxx
  Love Island 2018 winner who now co-hosts 'Sorted with the Dyers' with her dad, Danny, and fronted the travel series 'Absolutely Dyer: Danny and Dani Do Italy'. She has popped up on EastEnders and Celebrity Gogglebox, and she brings more than 3 million social followers along for the ride.
• Alex Kingston (62) - Actress - Instagram: @alexkingstonofficial
  ER made her a household name as Dr Elizabeth Corday, and Whovians know her as River Song. Other credits: A Discovery of Witches, Law & Order: SVU, Arrow, plus heavyweight stage roles like Lady Macbeth and Nurse Ratched.

  "Aaaaagghhh!"

• Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (53) - Former professional footballer - Instagram: @official_jhasselbaink
  Premier League goal machine with spells at Chelsea, Leeds, and Middlesbrough, and he has served as an assistant coach for the England national team. Now swapping the pitch for the paso and hoping for zero own goals.
• Balvinder Sopal (46) - Actress - Instagram: @leesopal
  EastEnders regular as Suki Panesar-Unwin. She has also popped up in Emmerdale, Coronation Street, and Hollyoaks. Keeping the unbroken tradition alive: there is, once again, an EastEnders star in the Strictly mix.
• George Clarke (25) - YouTuber and podcaster - Instagram: @georgeclarkeey
  If you are not on TikTok or Instagram, you may be meeting him for the first time. He co-hosts 'The Useless Hotline Podcast', which has already taken to stages across the UK with live shows, and brings a massive online audience with him.
• La Voix (45) - Performer - Instagram: @lavoixtheshow
  Drag performer, presenter, and singer who competed on RuPaul's Drag Race UK in 2024. She is only the second drag queen to step into Strictly proper, following Tayce's turn in the 2024 Christmas special. You might also have seen her on Queens for the Night, Queen of the Universe, and even Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie.

  "I've performed for royalty, RuPaul and Simon Cowell, but nothing fills me with more excitement (and quite a bit of terror) than dancing in front of millions on a Saturday night. Good luck to my partner... from La Voix to La Danse."

• Chris Robshaw (39) - Former rugby union player - Instagram: @chrisrobshawrugby
  Ex-England captain with 66 caps, 43 of them as skipper, and part of the 2016 Six Nations Grand Slam. At club level, a Harlequins legend with 300 appearances during their golden years.

  "This is as far out of my comfort zone as it gets. Let's see if a rugby sidestep works in the cha-cha-cha."

• Ellie Goldstein (23) - Model - Instagram: @elliejg16_zebedeemodel
  History-maker: the first model with Down syndrome to cover British Vogue. She has fronted campaigns for Gucci Beauty and Adidas and appeared on the covers of Glamour, Elle, Mission Mag, and Euphoria.

  "I'm over the moon to join Strictly. It's a dream, it's going to be a challenge, and I can't wait to bring the glitter and make some magic on that floor."

• Thomas Skinner (34) - Businessman - Instagram: @iamtomskinner
  One of The Apprentice's most memorable 2019 candidates, now a TV regular with credits including Celebrity MasterChef and 8 Out of 10 Cats. He says he is beyond excited to swap sales pitches for sambas.
• Vicky Pattison (37) - TV personality - Instagram: @vickypattison
  Geordie Shore alum who went on to Ex on the Beach and presenting gigs like Judge Geordie and The Honesty Box. Expect personality for days and, by her own admission, a little fear of the dance shoes.

  "I am buzzing to do Strictly... and terrified. I'm not a natural dancer, but I want to push myself and, fingers crossed, not make too much of a fool of myself."

• Stefan Dennis (66) - Actor - Instagram: @stefandennis7
  Paul Robinson himself from Neighbours, a role he has held since the very beginning in 1985 and is sticking with through the show's run as it wraps later this year. Also appeared in Scottish soap River City and had a proper late-80s pop hit: 'Don't It Make You Feel Good' reached No. 16 in both the UK and Irish charts. Inside baseball: yes, that Paul Robinson.
• Ross King (63) - Presenter - Instagram: @therossking
  ITV's LA correspondent for Good Morning Britain and Lorraine, and the 13th celeb announced for this series. He has four news Emmys, has hosted more than 30 TV series since his first radio gig at 15, and in the US he has judged CBS's 'The World's Best', fronted The Hollywood Christmas Parade and The Critics Choice Movie Awards red carpet, and spent six years as Entertainment Anchor on KTLA.
• Karen Carney (38) - Journalist - Instagram: @kazcarney
  Former England international and now a leading pundit across TNT and ITV for both men's and women's football. With 144 caps, she is England's third most-capped player and went to four World Cups, four Euros, and the London Olympics before retiring in 2019. She was the 14th celeb revealed for this series.

One last thing

All 15 hit the floor in the launch show group number before the weekly chaos begins. Expect the usual journey arcs, the shock rumbas, and the "I did not have Ross King on my Strictly bingo card" moments. See you in the ballroom.