Highlights
- The 2026 Strictly Come Dancing celebrity line-up is now complete with 15 contestants
- The cast includes EastEnders and Gavin & Stacey stars, a Eurovision singer, sports personalities, reality stars and social media creators
- Dani Dyer is returning after being forced to withdraw from the 2025 series because of injury
The Strictly Come Dancing 2026 line-up is finally complete. Fifteen celebrities will take to the ballroom when the BBC dance competition returns in September, bringing together some familiar television faces with athletes, performers and a new generation of social media stars.
The final spot went to Gavin & Stacey actor Melanie Walters, who joins an eclectic cast that includes EastEnders favourite Lacey Turner, Australian singer Delta Goodrem, former footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips and House of the Dragon star Bethany Antonia.
Here is everyone confirmed for Strictly Come Dancing 2026.
1. Lacey Turner
Lacey Turner is best known for playing Stacey Slater in EastEnders, a role she first took on in 2004. Her television credits also include Our Girl, Being Human and Switch. The actor is currently taking a break from EastEnders and will now swap Walford for the ballroom.
Turner was the first celebrity confirmed for this year's series and has described herself as a huge fan of the show.
2. Dani Dyer
Dani Dyer first became a household name after winning Love Island in 2018 with Jack Fincham. She has since worked across television, including The One Show, EastEnders and The Dyers' Caravan Park, which she presents alongside her father Danny Dyer.
Her Strictly journey comes with unfinished business. Dyer was announced for the 2025 series but had to withdraw because of an injury. She is now back for another chance on the dance floor.
3. Delta Goodrem
Australian singer-songwriter Delta Goodrem brings more than two decades of music experience to the ballroom. She signed her first record deal at 15 and rose to international fame with her 2003 album Innocent Eyes, which became one of Australia's highest-selling albums.
Goodrem has also just represented Australia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, finishing fourth with 287 points. Strictly will take her to a stage she has not previously performed on: the ballroom floor.
4. Chris Appleton
Chris Appleton is stepping away from the salon floor and into the dance studio. The celebrity hairstylist is known for creating some of Kim Kardashian's most recognisable looks and has also worked with Jennifer Lopez, Ariana Grande, Katy Perry and Sofía Vergara.
His work has appeared in publications including Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Vanity Fair, Marie Claire and British Vogue.
5. Cach Mercer
Cach Mercer rose to fame after winning Love Island 2025 alongside Toni Laites. Since then, he has built a substantial social media following, with almost 50 million TikTok likes.
He also works as a model and DJ and is an ambassador for youth mental health charity YoungMinds. Mercer already has experience with Afrobeat, hip-hop and street dance, although ballroom will be a new challenge for him.
6. Will Best
Television presenter Will Best is known for co-hosting Big Brother with AJ Odudu and presenting the Hits Radio Breakfast Show.
He began his broadcasting career on Channel 4's T4 more than 15 years ago and has since appeared across BBC Three, This Morning and music channel Viva. He admits he does not know whether he can dance, but appears ready for the challenge.
7. Dame Sarah Storey
Dame Sarah Storey enters the competition as Britain's most successful Paralympian. She has won 30 Paralympic medals, including 19 golds.
Storey began competing as a swimmer at the 1992 Barcelona Paralympics before switching to cycling, where she became a major force on the road and track. She stepped down as an athlete before taking on her latest challenge in the Strictly ballroom.
8. Jaime Winstone
Jaime Winstone has built a career across film and television, with credits including Made in Dagenham, Bullet Boy, Tomb Raider and Wild Bill.
She is particularly known for playing Barbara Windsor in the BBC biopic Babs. Winstone later played Windsor's famous EastEnders character Peggy Mitchell in flashback episodes, including the show's 40th anniversary episode, which won a British Soap Award for Best Single Episode.
9. Bethany Antonia
Bethany Antonia will be familiar to fantasy drama fans as Baela Targaryen in House of the Dragon. The actor is also appearing in the West End production of Hadestown, where she plays Eurydice.
Antonia has grown up watching Strictly and said joining the show gives her the chance to learn a new skill outside her usual acting work.
10. Shaun Wright-Phillips
Former England footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips is taking on a very different kind of performance. The 44-year-old won 36 England caps during a career that included spells at Manchester City, Chelsea and Queens Park Rangers, as well as clubs in the US.
The son of football legend Ian Wright, he now works as a football pundit and broadcaster for outlets including the BBC, Sky Sports and ITV. Wright-Phillips has admitted that Strictly is outside his comfort zone.
11. Graeme Hall
Graeme Hall, better known as “The Dogfather”, is bringing his television experience to the ballroom. He fronts Channel 5's Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly and The Dog Hospital with Graeme Hall.
Hall is also an author, a regular contributor to This Morning and BBC Radio, and made a cameo in All Creatures Great and Small. He has said he has always loved dancing, although he expects the competition to be nerve-racking.
12. Lawrence Robb
Emmerdale actor Lawrence Robb is best known for playing Mackenzie 'Mack' Boyd, a character at the centre of some of the soap's biggest storylines.
Before joining the ITV soap, Robb appeared in I Hate Suzie and performed in West End productions including Legally Blonde The Musical and Mojo. He will now trade the soap's dramatic storylines for ballroom routines.
13. Tabby Stoecker
Tabby Stoecker joins Strictly fresh from a remarkable year in sport. The Team GB skeleton athlete won gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics and has also won a World Cup race, two World Championship medals and a European Championship medal.
Stoecker only made her international debut in skeleton five years ago. She has described appearing on Strictly as a childhood dream.
14. John Nellis
John Nellis is bringing the world of football content creation to the ballroom. The YouTuber is one of the UK's biggest sports creators, with a combined audience of more than 20 million followers.
His videos have attracted billions of views and have featured football stars including Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Cristiano Ronaldo. Nellis also won Sport Creator of the Year at the 2024 TikTok Awards UK & Ireland. Unlike some of his fellow contestants, he says he has never danced before.
15. Melanie Walters
The final name added to the cast is Melanie Walters, best known for playing Gwen West in Gavin & Stacey. She has portrayed the omelette-loving character since 2007 and returned for the show's hit 2024 Christmas special.
Walters has also appeared in Coronation Street, Beyond Paradise, Being Human, Hollyoaks and Doc Martin, as well as films including Submarine and Save the Cinema. After 15 years of performing in pantomime, she is now swapping her fairy wand for sequinned dance shoes.
The 15 celebrities will compete when Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One and BBC iPlayer in September. The 2026 series will also introduce a new presenting trio of Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe and Josh Widdicombe.
