Radio DJ Dev Griffin has been unveiled as the 13th celebrity contestant taking part in Strictly Come Dancing 2019, which begins on BBC One next month.
The actor and radio presenter announced the news on BBC Radio 1, where he hosts the weekend afternoon show.
He knows his way around the decks, but how about the dance floor? @BBCR1's Dev Griffin @dev_101 is our next #Strictly celeb! https://t.co/151krnFEM2 🎧 pic.twitter.com/7MYZG63q3q
— BBC Strictly ✨ (@bbcstrictly) August 6, 2019
Griffin said: "I want to tell you a little story. In 1996 I entered a dance competition at the Pontins Holiday Park. I tried my very best. I danced to MC Hammer's Can't Touch This. I was slighted, I came second and I swore retribution.
"As as I walked away from those Red Coats I said: 'One day I'm going to take part in a dance competition and get really good and you will rue the day you slighted me.
"Fast forward to 2019 I'm going to be on this year's series of Strictly Come Dancing. I swore attribution because I'm coming."
He added: "Such a relief to finally be able to... Can you believe I managed to keep this a secret? I've known for ages.
"I'm not just telling you this. My mum doesn't even know. My mum is finally finding out as we... My mum is even worse at keeping secrets than me. She would be telling anybody she bumped into in the street: 'Ah, Dev is doing Strictly, yeah.'
"It's nice to finally get it out of the bag. It's weird. I'm not going to lie. I feel a little bit strange. But I've said to people, it's like when you say: 'Are you going to be a new dad?"'
This year's series will see the return of judges Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood and Bruno Tonioli, while Motsi Mabuse, sister of Strictly professional Oti, will replace Dame Darcey Bussell on the panel.
The new series, fronted by hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, also has a new face in the professionals line-up in the form of Latin dancer Nancy Xu.
