{"id":2514306,"date":"2026-07-23T17:05:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T17:05:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2514306"},"modified":"2026-07-23T17:05:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T17:05:16","slug":"actress-jaime-winston-is-the-latest-addition-to-the-strictly-line-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/actress-jaime-winston-is-the-latest-addition-to-the-strictly-line-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Actress Jaime Winston is the latest addition to the Strictly line-up"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n

Slowly but surely, the celebrities are being announced for this year\u2019s Strictly Come Dancing<\/em>. In contrast to previous years, the big-name reveals will be taking place gradually across the summer \u2013 so we have a while to wait for the full list.<\/p>\n

The 2026 series will be under serious scrutiny, not just due to the scandals that have hit the show in recent years, but because of a (mildly) controversial new hosting line-up<\/a>. Everything you need to know about the 24th series of Strictly Come Dancing <\/em>is below.<\/p>\n

Jump to:<\/em><\/p>\n

Which celebrities are on the show this year?<\/h2>\n

Jamie Winstone<\/h2>\n

Daughter of Ray Winstone, Jaime Winstone began acting in 2004, and has notched up several screen roles, including Made in Dagenham<\/em>, Tomb Raider<\/em>, Dead Set<\/em>, Torville & Dean <\/em>and Mad Dogs<\/em>. She\u2019s arguably best known for playing Barbara Windsor in the BBC biopic Babs<\/em>, and for then portraying a younger version of Windsor\u2019s iconic soap character Peggy Mitchell in an EastEnders <\/em>flashback episode to celebrate the soap\u2019s 40th.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am so excited to announce that I will be joining the Strictly Come Dancing <\/em>cast this year,\u201d says Winstone. \u201cI am no stranger to a dance floor, but the ballroom is a whole new world for me. I love a challenge though, so can\u2019t wait to enter my showgirl era and get super sparkly!! Let\u2019s get physical \u2013 see you on the dance floor!\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarah Storey<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
<\/div>
\n

Dame Sarah Storey is the latest contestant to be announced – BBC<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

With 19 gold medals, 48-year-old Sarah Storey<\/a> is Great Britain\u2019s most successful ever Paralympian. Born in Manchester without a functional left hand, at age 14 she began her career as a swimmer and took part in four Paralympic Games, winning 10 golds, before switching to cycling in 2008. She only retired this year, yet the training sessions will continue \u2013 but now they\u2019ll be in a dance studio.<\/p>\n

\u201cEmbarking on a new challenge so soon after stepping down as an athlete is hugely exciting,\u201d said Storey. \u201cI have always loved watching Strictly, <\/em>and my daughter Louisa is a very talented dancer, so to be able to learn from the best and hopefully understand even more about her world is incredibly motivating! I can\u2019t wait to get started!\u201d<\/p>\n

Will Best<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\"Presenter<\/div>
\n

Presenter Will Best is the latest celebrity to join the line-up – BBC<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The 41-year-old is a TV presenter and co-helms the Hits Radio breakfast show. The son of politician and House of Lords crossbencher Richard Best, Will has hosted TV shows such as Dance Dance Dance<\/em>, Love Shaft<\/em>, Suck My Pop<\/em> and, most recently, the revival of Big Brother<\/em> alongside Strictly <\/em>alumnus AJ Odudu. He also recently won Celebrity Mastermind<\/em> with the specialist subject of Danny Dyer.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cWhat an absolute dream. Albeit a pretty terrifying one. I have no idea if I can actually dance, but bring on the sequins, bring on the quicksteps, bring on the dance floor! I\u2019m going to try to enjoy every minute of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cach Mercer<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\"Love<\/div>
\n

Love Island champion and social media start Cach Mercer is the latest celebrity to be announced – BBC<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Since winning Love Island<\/em> in 2025, Cach Mercer has amassed a TikTok audience of almost 50 million, following him for his posts on Afrobeat, hip-hop and street dance. Mercer also works as a model, a DJ and as an ambassador for a mental health charity.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cI have grown up watching the show with my family and am so excited to now be part of the cast. Dancing is a huge passion of mine and I can\u2019t wait to learn Ballroom and do the Foxtrot for the first time!\u201d<\/p>\n

Chris Appleton<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\"Celebrity<\/div>
\n

Celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton – BBC<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Hair stylist to the stars Chris Appleton has clients including Jennifer Lopez, Sof\u00eda Vergara, Ariana Grande and Katy Perry \u2013 and has amassed four million followers on Instagram alone. His career began in a hair salon in Leicester before he moved to London and landed his first big-name client, Rita Ora. Since then, his work has featured in magazines including Vogue, Vanity Fair and Harper\u2019s Bazaar, and he has styled Kim Kardashian for seven consecutive Met Galas.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cI may know my way around a salon floor, but the dance floor is a whole different story \u2013 and I can\u2019t wait to get started.\u201d<\/p>\n

Delta Goodrem<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\"Delta<\/div>
\n

Delta Goodrem is the latest celebrity to be announced – BBC<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

One of many Australian soap stars who\u2019s also carved out a successful pop career, 41-year-old Delta Goodrem is best known to UK viewers as Nina Tucker in Neighbours <\/em>and the voice behind 2000s hits such as Lost Without You<\/em> and Born to Try<\/em>. Down Under, she\u2019s had nine number-one singles and has won 12 Aria Music Awards. She was also a coach on The Voice Australia<\/em> for seven years and represented Australia in this year\u2019s Eurovision Song Contest<\/a>, finishing fourth.<\/p>\n

But can she dance the foxtrot? Goodrem says: \u201cThere is one stage I\u2019ve never stepped on to and that is the ballroom floor! I\u2019m absolutely thrilled to be joining Strictly <\/em>and can\u2019t wait to get started!\u201d<\/p>\n

Dani Dyer<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\"Dani<\/div>
\n

After dropping out of last year\u2019s competition due to injury, Dani Dyer is back in the line-up – BBC<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

No surprise at all to see \u201cbroadcaster and author\u201d Dani Dyer (she was on Love Island <\/em>in 2018) in this year\u2019s line-up, as she was originally included in last year\u2019s, before injury forced her out before the competition began<\/a>. It remains to be seen if she will once again be paired with Nikita Kuzmin, who instead made the final with another Love Island <\/em>escapee, Amber Davies, last year. If you\u2019re not au fait <\/em>with televised dating shows, Dyer is also the daughter of Danny Dyer<\/a> and wife of West Ham United captain Jarrod Bowen. As befits the partner of a footballer, Dyer says she is \u201cover the moon\u201d to be back on the show. She\u2019ll be a competitor: she has already won Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins <\/em>this year.<\/p>\n

Lacey Turner<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\"EastEnders<\/div>
\n

EastEnders actress Lacey Turner was the first celebrity dancer to be announced for the 2026 competition – BBC Studios<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The EastEnders <\/em>actress was the first celebrity to be announced for the 2026 series. Turner moved into Albert Square in 2004 at the age of 16 as the gobby teenager Stacey Slater and left on Christmas Day 2010. A stab at non-EastEnders <\/em>acting saw her star in, among other things, the BBC\u2019s army drama Our Girl<\/em>, before being lured back to E20 in 2014. Stacey departed once again last year. Turner has said she is \u201cexcited and terrified\u201d to be on the show but that she thought it was \u201cabout time\u201d she plucked up the courage to take part (which suggests multiple offers in previous years). Good news, Lacey \u2013 EastEnders <\/em>actresses fare well, with three of them lifting the Glitterball Trophy previously.<\/p>\n

Who are the new hosts?<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\"stand-up<\/div>
\n

The new hosts: stand-up comedian Josh Widdicombe TV host Emma Willis and Strictly professional Johannes Radebe – BBC\/Ray Burmiston<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The biggest change this year is in the presenting line-up, with Strictly <\/em>stalwarts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman having left the show in 2025. They have been replaced, in a shock move, by three <\/em>presenters: TV host Emma Willis, stand-up comedian Josh Widdicombe and Strictly <\/em>professional Johannes Radebe. Their chemistry in screen tests was, we\u2019re told, \u201coff the charts\u201d, but it remains to be seen how Strictly<\/em>\u2019s throuple actually works. Early rumours suggested Radebe would be a \u201croving reporter\u201d, though the BBC has named him a \u201chost\u201d, the same as Willis and Widdicombe.<\/p>\n

Who are the professional dancers?<\/h2>\n

As the BBC refreshes the series for 2026, there has been something of a cull of the pros<\/a>. Gone are Karen Hauer (the show\u2019s longest-serving female pro), Nadiya Bychkova, Luba Mushtuk, Gorka M\u00e1rquez and Michelle Tsiakkas (particularly cruel given that she only joined in 2022 and only ever had one celebrity partner \u2013 \u201cMy dream is shattered,\u201d she has said).<\/p>\n

This means the 15 remaining professionals are Dianne Buswell, Julian Caillon, Vito Coppola, Amy Dowden, Carlos Gu, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Lauren Oakley, Jowita Przystal, Johannes Radebe, Aljaz Skorjanec, Alexis Warr, Kai Widdrington and Nancy Xu. The BBC has also said that some new professionals will be announced soon.<\/p>\n

When will Strictly start?<\/h2>\n

It has not yet been announced, but given that each of the previous 13 series (bar the 2020 Covid-hit year) has begun between September 21-27, we can hazard an educated guess at Saturday September 26.<\/p>\n

What else is new for this series?<\/h2>\n

Aside from a slightly redesigned \u2013 and we\u2019ll say it, not quite as good \u2013 logo for the show, we\u2019re unaware of any other major changes \u2013 the judging panel, for instance, remains as Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke, Motsi Mabuse and Craig Revel Horwood. However, there are changes afoot for sister show It Takes Two<\/em>. Host Janette Manrara, a former Strictly <\/em>pro, has announced she has left, and rumour has it that her fellow presenter, Fleur East, is also gone. As well as new presenters, the show\u2019s format is rumoured to be changing. Alas, it is changing to a vodcast \u2013 a visual podcast. Well, more budget for sequins, I suppose.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"A<\/div>
\n

A slightly redesigned – BBC Studios<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The BBC has announced no new themed weeks yet, but has confirmed the return of movies, icons, Hallowe\u2019en and musicals, as well as a return for the instant dance challenge, which debuted to a positive reaction last year. And, of course, there\u2019s the annual trip to Blackpool<\/p>\n

Try full access to The Telegraph free today. Unlock their award-winning website and essential news app, plus useful tools and expert guides for your money, health and holidays.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.aol.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Slowly but surely, the celebrities are being announced for this year\u2019s Strictly Come Dancing. In contrast to previous years, the big-name reveals will be taking place gradually across the summer \u2013 so we have a while to wait for the full list. The 2026 series will be under serious scrutiny, not just due to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2514307,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25177],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2514306","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrities"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Actress-Jaime-Winston-is-the-latest-addition-to-the-Strictly.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2514306","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2514306"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2514306\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2514308,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2514306\/revisions\/2514308"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2514307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2514306"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2514306"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2514306"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}