The full celebrity line-up for Strictly Come Dancing 2026 has been revealed, with a Paralympic legend, a Manchester City favourite and stars with connections to Yorkshire and Northern broadcasting among those preparing to hit the dancefloor.
Fifteen celebrities will compete for the Glitterball when the BBC’s flagship entertainment show returns this autumn, with Dame Sarah Storey, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Graeme Hall, Lawrence Robb and Will Best providing some of the strongest Northern connections in this year’s cast.
Perhaps the most obvious is Greater Manchester’s Dame Sarah Storey, Britain’s most successful Paralympian of all time, who announced her retirement from competitive sport last month.
The 48-year-old has won 30 Paralympic medals, including 19 golds, across a remarkable career spanning swimming and cycling and nine Paralympic Games.
ParalympicsGB lists Storey’s region as Manchester and she lives in Disley. She will also make Strictly history as the first Dame to compete on the show.
“Embarking on a new challenge so soon after stepping down as an athlete is hugely exciting,” Storey said.
“I have always loved watching Strictly and my daughter Louisa is a very talented dancer, so to be able to learn from the best and hopefully understand even more about her world, is incredibly motivating! I can’t wait to get started!”
Joining her is former Manchester City and England winger Shaun Wright-Phillips. The 44-year-old won 36 England caps during a career which included two spells at Manchester City as well as Chelsea, Queens Park Rangers, New York Red Bulls and Phoenix Rising.
Wright-Phillips has remained closely connected to City since hanging up his boots and has been a club ambassador since 2020.
“Dancing is in my blood—but mainly at family events!” he said. “Strictly is definitely outside my comfort zone, but I’m super excited to get started and really looking forward to the challenge!”
Yorkshire is represented by Graeme Hall, the dog trainer, presenter and author best known as the face of Channel 5’s Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly.
Known as “The Dogfather”, Hall was born in Selby, Yorkshire, and studied at the University of Hull before eventually building a television career around his work with dogs.
“I can’t believe I am joining the cast of Strictly for 2026,” Hall said. “I have always loved dancing, so to have the opportunity to learn from the best in the business is a dream come true.
“I have watched the show for years, so to be a part of it feels like a very exciting challenge, albeit more than a bit nerve-wracking! I can’t wait to get started. Bring it on!”
There is another strong Yorkshire television connection in Lawrence Robb, who is swapping the Dales for the dancefloor. The Glasgow-born actor has played Mackenzie ‘Mack’ Boyd in ITV’s Yorkshire-based soap Emmerdale for the past six years, becoming a member of the show’s Dingle family and featuring in some of its biggest storylines.
“I don’t know who’s more excited about this, me or my Mother,” said Robb.
“I can’t quite believe that I am going to be getting my dancing shoes on this September on one of my favourite shows of all time! It’s a dream come true, and I can’t wait to bring my all to ballroom. Wish me luck, and any advice is very welcome – trust me I’ll need it!”
Completing the 15-strong celebrity line-up are radio presenter Will Best, Eastenders star Lacey Turner, actress Dani Dyer, singer Delta Goodrem, Chris Appleton, Cach Mercer, Jaime Winstone, Bethany Antonia, Tabby Stoecker, John Nellis and Melanie Walters.
This year’s Strictly will also look rather different away from the dancefloor. For the first time, the programme will have three presenters, with Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe and Josh Widdicombe taking charge of the ballroom.
Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and head judge Shirley Ballas will all return to the judging panel, while five new professional dancers will join the show alongside its returning pros.
The programme’s traditional themed weeks, including Movies, Icons, Halloween and Musicals, will return, as will the Instant Dance challenge introduced last year.
And there will once again be a trip North during the competition, with Blackpool Week returning to the Tower Ballroom as one of the landmarks of the series.
Strictly remains one of the BBC’s biggest entertainment properties. The broadcaster said the most recent series averaged 7.8 million viewers, rising to 8.6 million for the Grand Final, when former England footballer Karen Carney and professional partner Carlos Gu lifted the Glitterball Trophy.
Strictly Come Dancing, produced by BBC Studios Entertainment, returns to BBC One and BBC iPlayer this autumn, with exact transmission dates still to be announced.
