Dani Dyer, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Alex Kingston and Balvinder Sopal have been revealed as the latest contestants for the upcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing.
Dyer, Hasselbaink and Kingston were announced as the latest recruits for the upcoming season live on BBC One's The One Show on Monday, while EastEnders star Sopal was announced as a contestant on the show live from Albert Square on ITV's Good Morning Britain on Tuesday.
Speaking from the studio after her reveal, former Love Island winner Dyer said: "It’s such a fun magical show – to be asked to do it is such an honour.
"I just can’t wait to be able to wear (the costumes) – it’s going to be so much fun."
Actress Kingston, who interrupted her holiday in Italy to speak to hosts Alex Scott and Roman Kemp, joked: "I was super excited but now I’m terrified."
What an incredible show!
— BBC The One Show (@BBCTheOneShow) August 11, 2025
Big thanks to Patrick Grant and the newest members of the Strictly Class of 2025 - Dani Dyer, Alex Kingston & Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink! 🪩
Catch up now 💫 https://t.co/950TbUfCgs pic.twitter.com/AceNHnrumY
She was best known for her role as Dr Elizabeth Corday in US medical drama ER but also appeared in Doctor Who.
Before ER she won over British fans for her performance in ITV miniseries The Fortunes And Misfortunes Of Moll Flanders, which earned her a Bafta nomination for best actress.
Former Chelsea footballer Hasselbaink said: "I’m a father of only girls and Strictly is a part of our home life – I like the show. Let’s have a go."
He added: "It’s totally out of my comfort zone.
"Playing football in front of 60,000 or 70,000 people is easy but dancing with a partner who knows it 10 times, 100 times, better than you is crazy."
Actress Sopal, best known for playing Suki Panesar-Unwin in BBC soap EastEnders since 2020, said that being on the show is "a dream".
She said: "Being on Strictly is a dream that I held on to, with no proof that it would ever happen.
"Working on EastEnders and being a part of Strictly Come Dancing is the stuff that dreams are made of.
"I'm far too excited to put into words how I feel but I’m incredibly excited at the prospect of dancing across the ballroom."
They join Olympic sprinter and Gladiators star Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, who was the first contestant confirmed for the 2025 line-up.
Aikines-Aryeetey, known as Nitro on the rebooted Gladiators, previously competed in last year’s Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special and described his decision to return as "so nice I just had to do it twice".
In July, the BBC announced that two "incredible" new professional dancers, US-born Alexis Warr and Australian dancer Julian Caillon, would be joining the show, which starts this autumn.
Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman are back to present with Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and Shirley Ballas returning as judges.
Strictly will return to BBC One for its new series this September.
Source: Press Association
