It’s fair to say that ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ fans are rather divided, following the news that YouTube personality Joe Sugg has signed up to appear on the series this year.
While in the past, the show has featured a mix of singers, sports personalities, soap actors, TV presenters and even the odd reality star, Joe is the first vlogger that ‘Strictly’ has ever featured on the show.
Following the news on Tuesday morning, many ‘Strictly’ fans have shared their disappointment with the BBC’s decision to have the internet star as a celebrity contestant, questioning his credentials and blasting the move as a cynical attempt to get young people watching...
However, others are backing the decision for ‘Strictly’ to cast their net a bit wider, acknowledging the impact that YouTuber creators have and pointing out that for many people, Joe actually has a bigger profile than some of the other contestants that have been revealed so far...
If you’re not a fan of YouTube, you probably won’t have heard of Joe, but you might be familiar with his sister, Zoella, arguably the most famous vlogger in the UK.
In addition to his YouTube channel ThatcherJoe - a nod to his past training as a roof thatcher - he has also appeared in the mockumentary ‘Joe And Caspar On The Road’, contributed vocals to Band Aid 30’s cover of ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ and penned three graphic novels.
He joins previously announced contestants model and TV personality Katie Piper, Steps singer Faye Tozer and ‘Red Dwarf’ actor Danny John-Jules on this year’s line-up.
More announcements about the rest of the line-up are expected in the coming days, ahead of this year’s ‘Strictly’ launch show next month.
Check out the full list of rumoured contestants here.