Almost 15 years after he rose to fame on Pop Idol, Will Young is making a return to reality television. The singer has been named as the second confirmed contestant to compete on Strictly Come Dancing, and will no doubt be hoping to emulate his success and make it all the way to the final once again.
The announcement was made on Tuesday afternoon after Will sent a number of teasing tweets earlier in the day alluding to big news on the horizon.
Will Young said he has wanted to appear on the show for a long time
"As a fan of Strictly for years, I have always imagined myself on the show, but the timing has not been right... until now!" Will said in a statement confirming the news. "Music is my passion and the dancing I have done has always been with a microphone in hand.
"Now there will be no microphone or band, just me, my partner and the dance floor. Strictly is a show with fantastic live music and has an ethos of positivity and growth. I practice these two things every day, and I will try my hardest to be the best dancer possible."
Will was catapulted to fame after winning the inaugural UK Pop Idol contest in 2002 and since then has gone on to have not only a very successful music career but has also appeared in a number of film, stage and television productions.
Will Young is the second contestant confirmed for Strictly Come Dancing
These include the BBC film Mrs Henderson Presents, on TV in the Marple drama The Mirror Crack'd From Side To Side, and on stage as the MC in Rufus Norris' production of Cabaret, for which he received an Oliver award nomination. Will is the second contestant confirmed to take part in the upcoming series of Strictly. Politician Ed Balls was announced as the first contestant on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2 on Monday.
More celebrity contestants for the new series of Strictly Come Dancing, which begins in September, will be announced in due course.