Great British Bake Off winner John Whaite has been announced as the fourth celebrity taking part in this year’s Strictly Come Dancing.
The chef will make TV history as part of the BBC ballroom show’s first-ever all-male couple, it has also been confirmed.
John appeared on Thursday’s Radio 2 Breakfast Show to reveal he would be joining Strictly when it launches next month.
He is the fourth star to be confirmed for this year’s series after Tom Fletcher, Robert Webb and AJ Odudu were unveiled on Wednesday.
John, who won the 2012 series of Bake Off and is now a regular on Steph’s Packed Lunch, said in a statement: “I’m so grateful, excited, and nervous to be joining the Strictly 2021 family. I’ve been wearing sequins and jazzy attire since I was three years old and can’t wait to hurl myself, full throttle, around the most glamorous dance floor on earth.
“What’s more exciting for me, is that I’m going to be one half of the first all-male partnership, which is a great step forward in representation and inclusion. Whoever it is I’m paired with, I hope they are up for a challenge as I want our routines to include lots of spectacular lifts!”
Nicola Adams and Katya Jones previously made TV history in 2020 as Strictly’s first-ever same-sex pairing.
Other stars who have been linked to this year’s Strictly include former rugby player and commentator Ugo Monye, presenters Maya Jama and Emma Willis, BBC Breakfast’s Louise Minchin and ex-footballer Peter Crouch, whose wife Abbey Clancy won the show in 2013.
The BBC has confirmed Strictly will return for a full-length series later this year, after its run was cut by four weeks in 2020 due to the pandemic.
However, for the second year running, it will not be taking its usual trip to Blackpool due to logistical issues presented by the on-going Covid situation.
Professional dancer Anton Du Beke also joins the panel this year in place of absent judge Bruno Tonioli, sitting alongside Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse and Craig Revel Horwood.
Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One this autumn.