Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Strictly Come Dancing: First contestant for 2021 series ‘revealed’

A former rugby star will be gracing the dancefloor this winter

Sam Moore
Thursday 22 July 2021 17:29 BST
Comments
Claudia Winkleman makes lockdown quip on Strictly Come Dancing

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The new series of Strictly Come Dancing is fast approaching and with that comes the inevitable rumour mill of who will be appearing.

According to reports in The Sun, the first celebrity to sign up is no stranger to competition and getting physical.

England rugby union winger, Ugo Monye, has been named as the initial signing for the long-running BBC talent show just weeks after it was announced he was joining A Question of Sport as a new team captain.

The Sun claims that Monye joins Strictly at the urging of reality star, Jamie Laing, his friend who finished third in last year’s edition.

“Ugo became friendly with Jamie when they worked on a travel show together in 2019 and after seeing how much he loved the experience, Ugo jumped at the chance”.

Ugo Monye
Ugo Monye (Getty Images)

A source told the paper: “Ugo is very much a rising star at the BBC, he is a captain on the revamped A Question of Sport and getting a turn on Strictly will help boost his profile even further”.

Monye would not be the first rugby player to take part in the show, following Gavin Henson, Austin Healey and Thom Evans.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in