The first Strictly Come Dancing star has been announced

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We're set for a stellar Strictly Come Dancing lineup this year, with some exciting famous faces in the mix

Strictly Come Dancing glitterball logo
(Image credit: BBC)

The first contestant for Strictly Come Dancing 2023 has been announced. The news was revealed on this evening's episode of The One Show, which aired, Friday, 4th August 2023 on BBC One.

Award-winning actor Amanda Abbington is the first celebrity to be confirmed as part of the new Strictly lineup.

Amanda Abbington Strictly Come Dancing 2023

(Image credit: BBC)

Amanda has starred in some of the UK’s top drama TV series, including Sherlock, Mr Selfridge, Wolfe, and Desperate Measures, as well as starring in The Net and feature film The Lost King. Her role as Mary Morstan in Sherlock won her the Best Supporting Actress gong at the Crime Thriller Awards.

The multi-award winning dancing show, which produced by BBC Studios, is set to air this autumn with some of the country's most loved famous faces competing for the Glitterball trophy. 

Amanda said of joining the show, “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!”

It was revealed by Strictly Come Dancing prior to the announcement that the first contestants would be revealed on The One Show this week. 

Dance show officials tweeted on Friday, 'It’s time to start revealing our #Strictly class of 2023. Tonight @BBCTheOneShow 7pm.'

It's thought that more Strictly contestants could be revealed over the weekend and into next week. 

TV legend Les Dennis has been "tipped" to join the programme, while Stuart Broad has been rumoured to join the dancing lineup after his shock cricket retirement.

TV presenter Steph McGovern also recently revealed she'd "love" to do Strictly Come Dancing during a rare interview.

Watch this space! 

Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One in the autumn.

Lauren Hughes
Freelance writer

Lauren is the former Deputy Digital Editor at woman&home and became a journalist mainly because she enjoys being nosy. With a background in features journalism, Lauren worked on the woman&home brand for four years before going freelance. Before woman&home Lauren worked across a variety of women's lifestyle titles, including GoodTo, Woman's Own, and Woman magazine. After starting out working for a local paper in Yorkshire, her journalism career took her to Bristol where she hunted out stories for national papers and magazines at Medavia news agency, before landing a job in London working as a lifestyle assistant.

A big fan of adventure, Lauren is also a keen travel writer and loves sharing tips on where to find the best places to eat, drink, and be merry off the beaten track. Lauren has written a series of travel guides for London hotels and loves sharing her insights into a destination's cultural and culinary offerings. If you need a recommendation on any UK destination, she's more than happy to help. At the weekend, you'll usually find her hanging out with her pet cat (or anyone else's pet she can get her hands on), escaping to the countryside, or devouring a good book.