Reality TV stars Pete Wicks and Tasha Ghouri are the latest celebrities confirmed for the upcoming season of Strictly Come Dancing.
This week’s daily announcements have revealed the 2024 contestants, including Go Compare singer Wynne Evans, singer-actress Toyah Willcox, TV doctor Punam Krishan, comedian Chris McCausland, and JLS star JB Gill.
The new contestant reveals come amid a scandal involving the BBC show, as an investigation into behind-the-scenes abusive behavior is underway.
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Pete Wicks, known for his stint on The Only Way Is Essex, received congratulations from his friend and 2023 Strictly contestant Zara McDermott, who is one of the celebrities alleging mistreatment during her time on the show.
Despite the ongoing controversy, she expressed her excitement about Wicks’s participation on social media.
Wicks and Ghouri shared their news on the Kiss FM breakfast show. Wicks admitted to feeling both excited and terrified, highlighting his fear of falling on stage. He humorously mentioned the show’s stairs, saying, “It’s not even the dancing; people run up the stairs to talk to Tess [Daly] and Claudia [Winkleman], and I will probably just slide back down.”
Ghouri, who gained fame on Love Island in 2022 and uses a cochlear implant, has become a prominent advocate for the deaf community. She has worked with Downing Street and the Department for Education. She previously dated former Strictly dancer Giovanni Pernice, who left the show earlier this year amidst allegations of abusive behavior, which he has denied.
On the radio show, Ghouri expressed her desire to be paired with Johannes Radebe, saying, “I do have a dream of who I would love to be with. It would be Jojo; I would love to work with him.” Although she is a trained dancer, she acknowledged that Strictly would be a new challenge, as her career has shifted since her Love Island days. “I’ve not danced in quite a few years now… I might not be good at it, like ballet. I’m trained in commercial, so I’m excited to learn these new styles,” she said.
Ghouri follows in the footsteps of Rose Ayling-Ellis, the show’s first deaf contestant who won the glitterball trophy in 2021 with Pernice. McCausland, announced as the first celebrity this year, is the show’s first blind contestant.
More celebrities are expected to be announced soon, with rumored participants including DIY SOS presenter Nick Knowles, former Arsenal footballer Paul Merson, EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick, X Factor winner Shayne Ward, and Olympian Sam Quek.
Gladiators star Montell Douglas, known as Fire, and Miranda actress Sarah Hadland have also reportedly signed up. Olympic swimmer Tom Dean has unofficially hinted at his involvement.
In response to the controversy, the BBC has introduced new measures to enhance contestant welfare, such as having chaperones present during rehearsals. The results of the investigation into the allegations have yet to be released.
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