Strictly Come Dancing has revealed the first three celebrities to take part in this year's series. Appearing on The One Show on Wednesday evening, hosts Matt Baker and Alex Jones' stand-in Stacey Dooley announced that former England goalkeeper David James, comedian Chris Ramsey and EastEnders star Emma Barton will be strutting their stuff on the dancefloor in September, all hoping to be the one to lift the Glitterball trophy.
Speaking on the show, David said previous contestant Mark Foster convinced him to do Strictly after he'd been asked so many times to appear. He said: "I've been asked to do this quite a number of times and I said, 'no it's not my kind of thing'. But Mark said it's amazing so this time round I said yes. I've had to keep it secret for so long… I told my mum, but she forgot. When Stacey said she was trying to work out which of the taller dancers he'll be paired with as he is 6'5", David jokily replied: "I'm going to be wearing high heels as well."
© Photo: Getty ImagesDavid James
MORE: Strictly star Oti Mabuse shares exciting wedding news!
Chris, whose wife used to be a professional dancer, said: "I’m both excited and absolutely terrified to be doing the show. You will not find me on the dance floor at parties, you will find me at the buffet table. All night. At my wedding I danced with my wife; that one song took about 6 months practice, and I definitely stood on her feet a couple of times. So I’m looking forward to the possibility of making a fool of myself in front of millions of people… there better be a buffet after the live shows."
© Photo: Getty ImagesChris Ramsey
READ: Strictly star Amy Dowden's fiance to join her on tour
© Photo: Getty ImagesAnd Emma added: "As possibly one of the biggest Strictly fans on the planet, I still can’t believe this is happening. I’m very much a dance around your handbag kinda girl, but now I've been given this wonderful opportunity to learn all the different styles of dancing from the very best in the business. So, I’m whipping off Honey's “Minute Mart” tabard & diving right in to all the glitter & sparkle. From Albert Square to the Strictly dance floor - I just can’t wait!"
Like this story? Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.
