Strictly Come Dancing is back baby! The first contestants have officially been announced after months of speculation, and we can’t wait to see them in action! It has been confirmed that actor Amanda Abbington, TV presenter and newsreader Angela Rippon and film and theatre actor Layton Williams will be putting on their dancing shoes for the 2023 competition.
Speaking about the very exciting opportunity, Amanda said: "I’m thrilled to have been asked to do Strictly. I’m actually really shy and self-conscious so this will be a great opportunity for me to overcome those things! Plus, I get to learn to dance which I am incredibly excited about. I’m really looking forward to the training too, I’m quite competitive as my family and friends will tell you. I can’t wait to start!"
Award-winning actress Amanda is best known for her roles in TV dramas, Sherlock, and Mr Selfridge, as well as parts in films including Crooked House and His Last Vow.
© GettyShe has also performed in various plays in well renowned theatres across the country and has recently starred in the West End transfer of Steven Moffat’s The Unfriend.
Every Strictly Come Dancing winner so far
- 2004: Natisha Kaplinsky (partner Brendan Cole)
- 2004: Jill Halfpenny (partner Darren Bennett)
- 2005: Darren Gough (partner Lilia Kopylova)
- 2006: Mark Ramprakash (partner Karen Hardy)
- 2007: Alesha Dixon (partner Matthew Cutler)
- 2008: Tom Chambers (partner Camilla Dallerup)
- 2009: Chris Hollins (partner Ola Jordan)
- 2010: Kara Tointon (partner Artem Chigvintsev)
- 2011: Harry Judd (partner Aliona Vilani)
- 2012: Louis Smith (partner Flavia Cacace)
- 2013: Abbey Clancy (partner Aljaž Škorjanec)
- 2014: Caroline Flack (partner Pasha Kovalev)
- 2015: Jay McGuiness (partner Aliona Vilani)
- 2016: Ore Oduba (partner Joanne Clifton)
- 2017: Joe McFadden (partner Katya Jones)
- 2018: Stacey Dooley (partner Kevin Clifton)
- 2019: Kelvin Fletcher (partner Oti Mabuse)
- 2020: Bill Bailey (partner Oti Mabuse)
- 2021: Rose Ayling-Ellis (partner Giovanni Pernice)
- 2022: Hamza Yassin (partner Jowita Przystał)
Meanwhile, Angela Rippon, who currently presents BBC's Rip-Off Britain and is a regular on Morning Live and The One Show, presented the original Come Dancing between 1988 to 1991 and has fronted shows such as Top Gear, Antiques Roadshow, The Holiday Programme, Crufts, How to Stay Young and The Truth About Dementia to name a few.
© GettyIn 2004 she was awarded an OBE in recognition of her services to Broadcasting, Charity and the Arts, then in the 2017 New Year Honours Angela was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to dementia care.
She said about taking to the dancefloor: "Having been a fan of Strictly since day one, and as a former presenter of Come Dancing, this will be quite an adventure for me. A scary one, considering I’m about to be 79. But I’m really looking forward to the challenge, and perhaps being able to learn to dance the Argentinian Tango!!"
Layton Williams is the third celebrity contestant confirmed the 2023 series of Strictly. He is best known as a stage and screen actor and has performed in London's West End, giving performances as the title role in Billy Elliot and Everyone’s Talking About Jamie.
© GettyHe also plays Stephen Carmichael in the Bad Education movie and recently rebooted series. Layton runs his own performing arts company ‘Pros from the Shows’ with hopes to inspire the next generation of performers. Over the years he has been the recipient of multiple Black British Theatre Awards, plus an Attitude Award for his work and visibility in the LGBTQ+ community.
Layton said: "Absolutely buzzing to confirm that I will be taking part in THE most iconic dance competition in the UK! It's time to bring it to the Ballroom. So excited to learn new skills from the best. Bring on the sequins… ALL the sequins!"
We can’t wait to see who will be joining them in the coming weeks! While we’re still waiting for the line-up to be confirmed, there has been plenty of rumoured stars, with Katie Price and Angela Scanlon among potential contestants. Katie even shared a photo of herself photoshopped while dancing with Graziano Di Prima, writing: "GET KATIE ON STRICTLY 2023."
No matter who takes part, this will be a very exciting series after a close competition in 2022, which saw Hamza Yassin raise the Glitterball trophy with his partner, Jowita Przystał. We can’t wait to cheer on the new group!
