Social media influencer Tilly Ramsay and The Crown and Cranford actor Greg Wise are the latest celebrities to join the Strictly Come Dancing 2021 line-up.
Ramsay, known for her CBBC show and for being the daughter of chef Gordon, said she “can’t wait to get my dancing shoes on and show my dad how it’s done”.
Wise rose to fame in the 1995 film Sense and Sensibility, on which he met his future wife Dame Emma Thompson.
They will be among the 15 contestants when the BBC show returns this autumn.
Wise also wrote the film Last Christmas with Dame Emma, whom he married in 2003.
He dedicated his Strictly appearance to his late sister Clare, with whom he wrote the book Not That Kind of Love .
“My beautiful sister was a huge disco queen,” said Wise. “She left our world almost exactly five years ago in a glitter ball coffin. This is for her.”
‘Don’t date those dancers’
Tilly Ramsay, 19, has more than 9.5 million followers on TikTok, where she regularly posts funny videos of herself and her famous father.
He wished her well in a video on ITV’s This Morning, signing off with the warning: “Don’t date those dancers.”
She is known for presenting CBBC’s Matilda and the Ramsay Bunch, which received three Children’s Bafta TV Award nominations, and has published a cook book.
Asked if she thought she had an advantage by posting dance videos on TikTok, she replied: “Yeah, I guess that’s true. You’ve got to learn them and you’ve got to remember them for the video, but luckily that’s not live and you can do as many takes as you need.”
She added: “I’ve tried dancing before when I was much younger. Mum put us all in ballet and we weren’t very good so we moved into football camp. So it’s definitely not my strength.”
Five more celebrities remain to be revealed for the 19th series, which is expected to be the normal length after being slightly shorter in 2020 because of the Covid pandemic.
On Wednesday, the BBC declined to comment on a story in The Sun newspaper that professional dancer Nadiya Bychkova had tested positive for Covid during the first week of preparations for filming.
Bruno Tonioli will be absent from the judges’ desk this year, replaced by long-serving professional dancer Anton Du Beke. Four new professionals have also been revealed.
Here are the other 2021 celebrity contestants so far:
Dan Walker
Dan Walker has been a regular presenter of BBC Breakfast since 2016, when he replaced Bill Turnbull.
He said on Tuesday he was “excited, a little bit worried, mostly terrified” about joining Strictly.
Keen sports fan Walker presented BBC Olympic Breakfast throughout this year’s games. He also hosted Football Focus for 12 years and has covered many major events, including Wimbledon, the Grand National and Royal Ascot.
Other presenting roles have included The One Show and Songs of Praise.
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.”
Katie McGlynn
Katie McGlynn meanwhile said she was getting ready “to shake my shimmy”.
“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,” she said.
The actress, who plays newcomer Becky Quentin in Hollyoaks, formerly starred as Sinead Tinker in Coronation Street. The role earned her a Bafta nomination and a National Television Award in 2020. She also featured in the BBC One drama series Waterloo Road and The Syndicate.
“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,” she added.