We usually associate Strictly Come Dancing with cosy nights in as the temperature starts to drop and the dark nights start drawing in – so it might come as a bit of a jarring shock to hear the fun is about to get started in a matter of weeks.
Before we head into the ballroom, though, we have to hear which celebrities are taking part, with the BBC’s line-up announcements now in full swing.
So far, actor Will Mellor and former Coronation Street star Kym Marsh have been confirmed for the show’s 20th series, but with many more spots still to fill, there’s plenty of rumours in the press about who could be occupying them.
Here’s a round-up of everyone who’s been named as a potential Strictly star so far this year…
Gino D’Acampo
Earlier this year, The Sun reported that Strictly bosses had their eye on Gino D’Acampo due to his “universal appeal”.
The Italian chef is best known for his work in the This Morning kitchen, and won I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here! back in 2009.
Mike Tindall
With Strictly’s 20th series falling in the same year as the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, it’s been heavily rumoured the BBC is “doing all they can” to put a royal twist on the show this year.
As well as supposed plans to host a live show at Buckingham Palace, The Sun claimed that Mike Tindall – who is married to Zara Phillips, the Queen’s granddaughter – is near the top of producers’ wishlists.
Lady Louise Windsor
As well as Mike Tindall, The Sun has named Lady Louise Windsor as a potential royal candidate for the Strictly ballroom this year.
Lady Louise turned 18 during the 2021 run of Strictly, so she’d be one of the youngest contestants to ever sign up for the show if she were to say yes.
Adam Thomas
Back in May, The Sun named former Emmerdale star Adam Thomas as the “first star set to sign up for this year’s Strictly Come Dancing”.
While he remained tight-lipped at the time, during a red carpet interview in July, he got a little tongue-tied when he inadvertently brought up the subject of Strictly, fuelling the fire he’s set to take part.
Emmerdale stars have traditionally done very well on Strictly, with Gemma Atkinson making it to the final (and landing a new relationship) in 2017, and Kelvin Fletcher taking home the Glitterball trophy two years later.
Steph McGovern
In June 2022, it was reported that the BBC was “keen” to bag the Steph’s Packed Lunch host for this year’s line-up.
Steph McGovern has made no secret of having turned down Strictly in the past, telling HuffPost UK: “If I do it, I want to totally commit to it and as things stand, it would be near on impossible. I would worry about my little girl and not seeing her for so long.
“It’s interesting because the very first time I was asked to do it was probably when I should have done it, but then I had a baby. I’ll always say never say never but I’d just want to give it my all if I ever do it.”
When asked about it on her show after the rumours surfaced, she insisted: “Never say never.”
Tom Daley
Following his success in the Olympics last year, The Sun claimed that Tom Daley was at the centre of a tug-of-war between the BBC and ITV, who reportedly wanted to sign him up for Strictly and I’m A Celebrity, respectively.
A year earlier, it was rumoured that Tom could be part of Strictly’s first ever partnership made up of two men, though this pairing ended up being former Bake Off winner John Whaite and Johannes Radebe.
Helen Skelton
It’s now been 10 years since Helen Skelton took part in the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special, finishing in a respectable second place.
A decade on, it’s been reported by The Sun that bosses want to sign her up full-time. Her previous appearance on Strictly may well put her in good stead, as past finalists Simon Webbe, Susanna Reid and Maisie Smith, not to mention champion Harry Judd, all appeared in one-off specials before signing up for the main show.
Bruce Grobbelaar
The former Liverpool goalie was reported by The Sun to be playing hardball when it came to signing up for Strictly.
As it turns out, the talks fell flat, with the sports fanatic supposedly not wanting to sign up for a show that would mean he’d have to work on match days.
Andrew Garfield
We usually balk at seeing A-listers’ names in reports about signing up for Strictly – and while this rumour is still pretty unlikely, at least it came direct from the horse’s mouth.
In the lead-up to this year’s Oscars, where Andrew Garfield was nominated for his role in the musical Tick Tick Boom, Andrew admitted that appearing on Strictly was “on the bucket list”.
“If I win the Oscar I’ll come back and do it,” he claimed.
Sadly, Andrew ended up losing out on the award to Will Smith – who would be an even more unexpected signing for Strictly. Still, it is their 20th season, and if ever Strictly were to pull it out of the bag with a Hollywood star, it’d be this year.
Strictly Come Dancing returns to our screens in the autumn.