Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
FACES IN DANCE SHOW’S NEW LINE-UP Celebrities? Not Strictly speaking...
You might recognise London actor Charles from Casualty, Eastenders, Footballer’s Wives and Sky One’s Dream Team. Also known as Chucky, the dad of two has also appeared in Hollywood movies The Bourne Ultimatum and The Dark Knight. devote the required time. Or perhaps their partners were aware of the infamous Strictly curse and screamed “over my dead body!”
The list does have a whiff of “Tesco substitutions” about it. You ordered Louis Walsh, we’ve delivered Seann Walsh instead.
It didn’t help that the BBC tried to manufacture some media frenzy by announcing the names one at a time.
Most of the unveilings barely warranted a shrugged, “oh”. By the time we got round to Susannah Constantine, it was less What Not To Wear more What Not To Book.
The BBC will no doubt say that instead of going for household names, the bookers purposely went for names that are known in different parts of the household.
The theory being that all those parts will then come together to watch their own favourites and end up getting hooked on the whole show. That strikes me as high risk. However, I’ll always believe in the magic of Strictly. If anyone can pull this off they can.
So, come November, if you spot me up in Blackpool wearing a feather boa and waving an “I pity the fools who don’t vote for Danny Johnjules” banner, do pop over and say hi. The television presenter and fashion journalist was the final contestant to be announced yesterday and unfortunately is among the least likely to win this year’s series. Bookies say the What Not To Wear presenter, from Hammersmith, West London, has odds of 25/1. Born in Newcastle, Capital FM presenter and Cambridge graduate Vick has presented for MTV, ITN and Channel 4. This year she joined The Voice UK as digital reporter and fronted Sky One’s Carnage with Freddie Flintoff and Lethal Bizzle. Former airport worker Stacey, from Luton, Beds, burst onto our screens as an investigative journalist by uncovering child exploitation in Indian sweatshops in 2008 on BBC Three. Ten years later, she has been awarded an MBE for her reporting. Following Blue’s split in 2005, Lee from Chatham, Kent, went solo before reuniting with his bandmates at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2011. In 2017, he joined Eastenders as Harry ‘Woody’ Woodward before leaving Albert Square in June. Since suffering a horrific acid attack in 2008 Katie, from Andover, Hants, has campaigned for burns victims. She received a special recognition gong at The Pride of Britain Awards in 2012 and has documented her journey through books and TV.