Former Coronation Street star Ellie Leach and Paralympic champion Jody Cundy are the latest stars to join the Strictly Come Dancing line-up.
The 22-year-old actress played Faye Windass in the ITV soap for 12 years before leaving earlier this year, with storylines for her character over the years including falling pregnant at 13 and later reconnecting with the child she gave up for adoption.
She said of the Strictly news, which was announced on BBC Breakfast: “It still doesn’t feel real that I’m going to be doing Strictly!! It’s always been a dream of mine so I guess dreams really do come true!!!!”
✨ From Corrie's cobbles to the #Strictly ballroom, Ellie Leach is the tenth celebrity contestant joining the Strictly Come Dancing Class of 2023
"It’s always been a dream of mine so I guess dreams really do come true!"
Find out more ➡️ https://t.co/5B0LhsQWgm pic.twitter.com/f98yA5sibX— BBC Press Office (@bbcpress) August 9, 2023
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Cundy, 44, an eight-time gold medallist who has represented Great Britain at seven summer Paralympics competing in cycling and swimming events, was unveiled on BBC Radio 5 Live.
He said: “I can’t believe I’m doing this. I am literally the last person to get dragged on the dancefloor so this is jumping feet first in at the deep end, something I never imagined myself doing, but you’ve just got to say yes when they come saying, ‘Do you want to be on Strictly?'”
Cundy has also competed in multiple World Championships, winning 23 world titles, most recently at the World Cycling Championships in Glasgow this week, but said the prospect getting knocked out of Strictly early will be more nerve-inducing.
He said: “My most nervous thing would be going out in the first week – even talking about it now my heart is pumping. I had a world championship final literally last night and my heart rate is probably higher now than it was then.”
He's won Gold, Silver and Bronze. Now Paralympian Jody Cundy has set his sights on glitter with a place on #Strictly 2023! 🥇
👉https://t.co/IjBj3TwTuz @jodycundy pic.twitter.com/Sg3l5nWf9ZAdvertisement— BBC Strictly ✨ (@bbcstrictly) August 9, 2023
Cundy, who holds the world record in the Flying 200m and the 1km Time Trial and took 14 consecutive world titles in the MC4 Kilo Time Trial, said his team will be testing him before and after Strictly training to see if dancing practice impacts his performance.
He added he will be seeking advice from former Strictly star and Paralympian Jonnie Peacock, saying: “He is an amputee as well and he gets his legs done by the same people who do my legs, so hopefully there will be some tips in there to get the most out of the prosthetics.”
Leach will join the BBC show months after leaving Coronation Street, and said: “Obviously it was really emotional, my last day, but I think the fact that I come out of Corrie and now I’m doing Strictly… I could never have imagined that this would have happened and I’m so, so grateful.
“I can’t wait to join the Strictly family, I’m so excited.
“I used to dance a little bit when I was younger, but it was tap, ballet, modern street dance. I’m not trained at all, and especially not in ballroom or Latin. I’m really excited to learn that new skill.
“I think that’s the most amazing thing about Strictly… being able to just be on the dancefloor every week. I’m always straight on the dancefloor, I love a good boogie, but I don’t know if my moves are good enough yet.
“I’m excited to kind of do something different, all the Latin dances, and ballroom as well, it’s so exciting.”
Leach said the “scariest part” of the show will be having her dancing critiqued by the judges, but added that she is grateful fellow soap star Adam Thomas is included in the line-up because he will be a “little piece of home”.
The Strictly line-up so far also includes BBC Asian Network’s Breakfast Show host Nikita Kanda, actress Amanda Abbington, Bad Education star Layton Williams and broadcaster Angela Rippon.
They will be joined on the dancefloor by journalist Krishnan Guru-Murthy, comedian Eddie Kadi, Irish TV presenter Angela Scanlon and former Love Island star Zara McDermott.
Presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman will be back to host the show when it returns to screens in the autumn.
