Strictly CLAN dancing!

From singing stars to rugby hunks, meet the Scots celebs who sparkled on the TV who dancefloor (and the ones the REALLY struggled to set heather alight)

IT’S BACK! Just when you thought all hope for the winter months had gone, Strictly Come Dancing is getting ready to hit our screens with a much-needed dose of sequins, salsa and swagger.

This year’s Strictly will be like no other. The Professionals have been in a self-isolated bubble since July, with the Celebrities due to do the same in the run-up to the premiere in October.

When the couples have been paired up they will be kept apart from their competitors and on set strict measures will be put in place to keep contact to a minimum, including no live band and – of course – none of the usual commiserating hugs.

‘I think there’s a feeling for many that if Strictly is back, all is OK,’ said BBC’s entertainment boss Kate Phillips.

‘Certainly the UK has never needed escapist entertainment more.’ Amen to that. This year’s contestants are more radical than ever, too. Boxer Nicola Adams will make history as the first celebrity to compete as part of a same sex couple, while this year’s Scottish celebrity is JJ Chalmers – pictured above – a former Royal Marine Commando who suffered life-changing injuries in an IED explosion in Afghanistan and has gone on to become an awardwinning Invictus athlete, mate of Prince Harry and successful TV presenter.

But what of the Scots who blazed the trail before him? Here, we celebrate the Scottish contestants – born or by marriage – who have tripped the light fantastic over the years, from the early-outers to the one celeb from north of the Border who hoisted the elusive glitterball trophy.