PERSHORE'S Toyah Willcox will be joining Strictly Come Dancing as the BBC show returns to our screens this year to celebrate its 20th anniversary.

With a new series comes a new celebrity lineup and the BBC has gradually revealed those who will be taking part in an effort to win the Glitterball Trophy.

Professional dancers Dianne Buswell, Nadiya Bychkova, Amy Dowden, Karen Hauer, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Gorka Marquez, Luba Mushtuk, Jowita Przystal, Johannes Radebe, Kai Widdrington, Nancy Xu, Carlos Gu, Lauren Oakley, Michelle Tsiakkas and Vito Coppola will be paired with a celebrity to teach them how to dance.

Strictly’s 2024 series will welcome professional dancer Aljaž Škorjanec back after a two-year hiatus.

Strictly Come Dancing’s 2024 celebrity lineup

The first celebrity to be confirmed was blind comedian Chris McCausland with the news being shared on ITV’s This Morning on Monday (August 5).

The 47-year-old lost his sight due to retinitis pigmentosa, a hereditary eye disease, which causes gradual degeneration of the retina.

He has hosted his own self-titled show on ITV1 on Saturday mornings and has also featured on panel shows such as Have I Got News For You, 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown and QI.

Chris McCausland said: “This is literally the worst kept secret there has ever been in British television.

“I think its been out there, it’s been exhausting keeping a secret everyone seems to know.”

Asked how he feels about taking part, McCausland said: “Apprehensive, massively apprehensive.

“I don’t know what I’m getting myself into, I’ve never watched it, obviously. It’s just some music.”

He continued: “I don’t dance, I have never danced. I grew up with headbanging and mosh pits.”

JLS member JB Gill was the second Strictly Come Dancing contestant to be officially announced.

ITV’s This Morning also revealed his appearance in the new series.

Gill has had five UK number one singles and a UK number one album as a part of the boyband, and went on to present the BBC’s Songs Of Praise, following the group’s 2013 break-up.

JLS reformed in 2020 with Gill returning.

He said: “I did the Christmas special, it was great fun.

“I did the jive and I feel like it was probably the most similar dance to things that I will have done in JLS, but I do feel like a lot of the styles, particularly the ballroom styles, are particularly alien to me.

“I’m not a trained dancer, I didn’t go to stage school growing up so it’s going to be a learning curve for me.”

Other major names that have been revealed include TOWIE star Pete Wicks, former Love Island contestant Tasha Ghouri, DIY SOS presenter Nick Knowles and pundit and former Arsenal footballer Paul Merson.

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Full Strictly Come Dancing lineup 2024

  • Chris McCausland (comedian)
  • JB Gill (JLS singer)
  • Wynne Evans (singer)
  • Toyah Willcox (actress and singer)
  • Dr Punam Krishan (BBC Morning Live’s resident doctor and NHS GP)
  • Tasha Ghouri (Love Island)
  • Pete Wicks (The Only Way is Essex)
  • Shayne Ward (actor and singer)
  • Sarah Hadland (Miranda)
  • Jamie Borthwick (EastEnders)
  • Tom Dean (three-time Olympic champion swimmer)
  • Montell Douglas (Gladiators)
  • Nick Knowles (DIY SOS presenter)
  • Paul Merson (pundit and former Arsenal footballer)
  • Sam Quek (TV personality and hockey Olympic champion)

When will Strictly Come Dancing 2024 start?

Strictly Come Dancing will return this autumn, the BBC has said, but the exact date has not yet been revealed.

It will be available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.