BBC Strictly announces first celebrity for 2025 lineup as Gladiators star confirmed
The BBC is unveiling the celebrity line-up for Strictly Come Dancing 2025
The BBC has confirmed the first celebrity in the Strictly Come Dancing line up of 2025. Olympic champion and Gladiators star Harry Aikines-Aryeetey will take to the famous dancefloor for the new series in the autumn.
The news was first revealed on Newsround this morning (Monday).
Harry appeared in the CBBC studio where he was dressed up as world-famous "choreographer" called Nicky Trott, who was said to be there to talk about a new scientific study about the benefits to health brought by dancing.
Presenter Jenny Lawrence quickly realised it was a prank and who she was really talking to, and Harry revealed the real reason he was there - to announce his Strictly stint.
Sprinter Harry, who took part in last year’s Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special with Nancy Xu, said: "After the Christmas Special, it was so nice I just had to do it twice!
"I'm so excited to be part of the Strictly family this series and I'm ready to give it all I've got.
"I'll be bringing tons of energy to light up the dance floor. Let's hope I’m as quick picking up the routines as I am on the track."
Produced by BBC Studios, Strictly will return to BBC One and BBC iPlayer for its new series this September.
Harry is a multi gold medal-winning Team GB sprinter and has competed at the highest level in the UK since his youth, becoming the first athlete to win gold medals at both 100 and 200 metres at the World Youth Championships, and winning the 2005 BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year award aged 17.
The athlete has gone on to win gold in the 4x100m relay at the European Championships and at the Commonwealth Games. He has competed in two Olympic games and is a three-time European Champion and two-time Commonwealth Champion.
In 2023 Harry was unveiled as Nitro in the hit BBC series Gladiators.
The next three celebrity contestants joining the new series of Strictly will be announced live on The One Show on Monday 11 August from 7pm BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Strictly Come Dancing is a BBC Studios Entertainment production for BBC One and BBC iPlayer and was commissioned by Kalpna Patel-Knight, Head of Entertainment at the BBC. The Executive Producer is Sarah James, and the Series Editors are Nicola Fitzgerald and Jack Gledhill. The Commissioning Editor for the BBC is Jo Wallace.
Strictly Come Dancing will return to BBC One and BBC iPlayer this September.