Former British Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls has been revealed as the first contestant in the new series of Strictly Come Dancing.
The announcement was made on Chris Evans' breakfast show on BBC Radio 2 on Monday morning. The Labour MP said he is "scared to death" about taking to the dancefloor but also described joining the line-up as a "dream come true".
"Making a speech in Parliament seems a piece of cake compared to this, but hopefully I can stick around for a couple of weeks, and have a lot of fun in the process," he said.
"Strictly is a firm favourite in our living room, and it feels like a dream to be going on myself, especially for Len's [Goodman, head judge] last series. I'm just hoping it doesn't turn into a nightmare too quickly!"
Balls, who (in)famously danced Gangnam Style at the Labour Party conference in 2014, said that "if you're going to have a midlife crisis you should make sure you plan it well and enjoy it".
"I have got to make sure I get fit in the next couple of weeks," he added. "From the beginning of September I'm definitely going to do 12 hours a week training."
Strictly presenter Claudia Winkleman has revealed that she and co-host Tess Daly now know the full line-up of celebrities taking part in the show.
The series returns to BBC One next month, with Irish TV presenter Laura Whitmore among those tipped to take part. Others linked to the show include model Daisy Lowe, singers Will Young and Louise Redknapp and TV presenter Angellica Bell.
"There's something for everyone," said Winkleman. "There's young, there's old, there's small, there's tall, there's cuddly, there's abrasive," she said.
"Actually, there's no abrasive ones, I miss the abrasive ones."
Our #Strictly celebrities for 2016? @TessDaly and @ClaudiaWinkle can't wait to tell you... pic.twitter.com/eU4Ki9ADNV
— BBC Strictly (@bbcstrictly) August 7, 2016
Winkleman also promised "hot" and "edible" contestants, while co-host Daly said viewers should expect "cute" and "gorgeous".
