Strictly Come Dancing 2023 Line-Up: All The Rumoured Celebs So Far

It's thought we're now just days away from officially finding out which celebrities are taking part in this year's series of the BBC ballroom show.
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Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One later in the year
BBC

While you might associate Strictly Come Dancing with the nights drawing in and the lead-up to Christmas, we’re actually now only a few days away from finding out who will be taking to the famed dance floor this year. 

Each August, the BBC starts announcing which celebrities have signed up ahead of the show’s official launch in September. 

And ahead of the official announcements, there have already been plenty of rumours in the press as to who is on this year’s line-up. 

Check out all of those who have been tipped for the show so far...

Brenda Edwards 

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Brenda Edwards
Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock

Ruth Langsford, Kaye Adams and Judi Love are just some of the Loose Women stars who’ve done Strictly in the past, and now Brenda Edwards is one of two panellists who’ve been linked to the show this year. 

Brenda, who is also a singer and West End star, is reported to have agreed to take part, with a Mirror source describing her as a “dream signing” for the show.  

Les Dennis

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Les Dennis
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Former game show host and Coronation Street actor Les has reportedly “thrilled” bosses by signing up for the show. 

The Mail On Sunday reports that he’s agreed to appear after previously turning down offers from producers during his stint on Corrie between 2014 to 2016, when he played Michael Rodwell. 

Layton Williams 

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Layton Williams
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West End star Layton is known for his roles in musicals Hairspray, Rent and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, after his breakthrough role in the stage adaptation of Billy Elliot. 

The actor – who has also starred in Bad Education and narrated hit BBC Three dating show I Kissed A Boy – has already signed up for the new series of Strictly, according to MailOnline.

Angela Rippon 

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Angela Rippon
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Angela has been tipped to become Strictly’s oldest ever contestant, after reportedly signing up at the age of 78.

The TV presenter – who previously competed on ITV’s Dancing On Ice – actually already has a link to Strictly, having hosted the show’s predecessor Come Dancing.

Ellie Leach 

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Ellie Leach
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Ellie looks set to follow in the footsteps of fellow former Coronation Street stars like Kym Marsh, Katie McGlynn, Georgia May Foote and Catherine Tyldesley by joining the Strictly line-up.

The actor left the ITV soap earlier this year, with The Sun claiming stint on Strictly is set to herald a “new chapter” in her life and career, following reports she’s also split from her boyfriend of five years.

Zara McDermott

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Zara McDermott
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Strictly looks set to break is supposed ban on previous Love Island contestants taking part, with reports claiming series four Islander Zara is set to appear.

While on Love Island, Zara was in an ill-fated romance with Adam Collard, and has since gone on to forge a relationship with Made In Chelsea star Sam Thompson.

After appearing on The X Factor: Celebrity with some of her fellow Islanders in 2019, Zara has fronted a number of series for BBC Three, with her latest documentary on the inner workings of Ibiza, which is set to land on iPlayer in 2024.

Andrew Ridgeley 

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Andrew Ridgeley
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The Wham! legend is one celebrity who has actively thrown his hat into the ring for this year’s series, admitting he would “love” to take part.

“I’d never say no [to Strictly],” he said. “I would love to be able to dance properly,” he told Radio 2 in July. “I would love to jive, I would love to cha-cha-cha, and I would love to foxtrot or American Smooth, quickstep.”

He added: “I’m not saying no to Strictly [however] my greatest fear would be not being able to remember the steps.”

Josie Gibson 

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Josie Gibson
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The former Big Brother winner has seen her profile sky-rocket in recent years after becoming a regular guest host on This Morning

As a result, it has been reported she is at the centre of a bidding war between the BBC and ITV, with offers to appear on both Strictly and I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! reportedly on the table.

Josie’s name has been connected to Strictly in previous years, and during an interview with HuffPost UK in 2022, she didn’t rate her chances of taking part. 

She said: “The thing is – and I think the Strictly team might be aware of this – I’m not very good at picking up dancing really. They’re really hard... I don’t think my brain works with my body that fast. It takes a little while.”

Adam Thomas

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Adam Thomas
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Waterloo Road and former Emmerdale star Adam first suggested he’d signed up for Strictly in 2022, but ultimately failed to appear on the line-up. 

He told The Sun at the time: “Bring it all on. I love a bit of glitz and glam.

“I just want to experience the Strictly curse,” he then joked. 

This year, his name has been connected to the show once again, with reports claiming he’s finally set to take to the floor.

Angela Scanlon 

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Angela Scanlon
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Regular The One Show contributor Angela would be the latest in a long line of presenters from the magazine programme to sign up for the show, which a story in Irish publication Goss.ie suggests she is about to do.

It has also been noted that Angela already has some previous dance experience, as she apparently once toured the world with the O’Shea Irish Dance Company. 

Bobby Brazier

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Bobby Brazier
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Strictly is known for always featuring a current EastEnders star on it’s line-up, and in 2023, Bobby Brazier looks set to fill that gap.

It had been claimed that talks with the Freddie Slater actor – who is the son of TV presenter Jeff Brazier and the late Big Brother star Jade Goody – were “in the final stages” back in June. 

However, Bobby is not the only familiar face from Walford who has been linked to Strictly this year...

Priya Davdra

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Priya Davdra
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Priya is best known for her role as Iqra Ahmed on EastEnders, prior to her departure from the BBC soap in January last year. 

A report in The Mirror claimed she has also been lined up for the show, along with Bobby for an Albert Square face-off on the dance floor. 

Nigel Harman 

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Nigel Harman
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If rumours are to be believed, the line-up could even feature a third familiar face from Walford, as former star Nigel is said to be in the mix for the series.

EastEnders fans will remember him best as Dennis Rickman, while more recently he’s joined the cast of Casualty as clinical lead Max Cristie.

Ade Adepitan

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Ade Adepitan
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The sports broadcaster and former Paralympic basketball player was linked to Strictly Come Dancing back in April, following reports bosses were hoping to sign the first contestant who uses a wheelchair for the show. 

Ade previously served as a judge on the short-lived BBC Three show Dancing On Wheels back in 2010, on which eventual Strictly winner Caroline Flack appeared as a contestant.

Emma and Matt Willis

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Matt Willis and Emma Willis
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Just days after the last series of Strictly finished, Matt and Emma’s names were linked to the show, with reports bosses were eying a couple to take part – much like Kenny and Gabby Logan did previously.

Emma has made no secret of her desire to do Strictly in the past, but has always said she has been too busy with other commitments to dedicate herself to the show.

Matt, however, has previously said he was less keen on the idea, admitting he’d turned down numerous offers to appear as he “couldn’t cope with the pressure”. 

Interestingly, however, Matt recently reunited with Busted for a tour later in the year, which is due to finish just as the Strictly live shows would be expected to start...

Sophie Morgan 

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Sophie Morgan on Loose Women
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Loose Women presenter and disability rights campaigner Sophie was also linked to Strictly shortly after it was reported the show was hoping to sign its first contestant who uses a wheelchair.

While Sophie has not addressed the rumours directly, she did call out an ableist tabloid headline about her reported appearance on the show.

Amy Nuttall 

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Amy Nuttall
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Former Emmerdale and Downton Abbey star Amy has been the subject of recent tabloid headlines about the reported breakdown of her marriage to fellow actor Andrew Buchan.

This was swiftly followed by claims she had subsequently been approached to appear on this year’s Strictly amid her rumoured heartbreak, which drew comparisons to how Helen Skelton joined Strictly in 2022 after splitting from her husband.

Gordon Ramsay 

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Gordon Ramsay
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TV chef Gordon was a regular at the Strictly studios in 2021 when his daughter Matilda appeared on the show, and it seems he’s caught the dancing bug. 

Gordon recently admitted he is keen to sign up for the show himself, telling Woman magazine: “I’d love to do Strictly before I get too old. Bill Bailey has given me hope.”

Jill Scott

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Jill Scott
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The current Queen Of The Jungle’s name has been linked to Strictly by a few publications, but it should be noted that the rumours stem from bookies’ odds rather than from any sort of inside source, so we’d treat the suggestions with a pinch of salt for now. 

Strictly also isn’t always known for signing up stars who have very recently appeared on another big reality show, so given how fresh the former England Lioness is from her triumphant stint on I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, it seems a bit unlikely – although stranger things have happened in Strictly history...