Soap star and tennis legend join Strictly Come Dancing line-up

A TV, film and theatre actor and director and a former British number one tennis player have become the latest stars to join the line-up for the upcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing. Excitement is building as the iconic dancing show prepares to return to our screens this Autumn, with a host of stars already announced.

The 13th celebrity to join the show is actor Nigel Harman, who famously played Dennis Rickman in EastEnders as well as starring in Downton Abbey. Most recently, Nigel joined the cast of Casualty as Max Cristie, Holby ED's new clinical lead.

49-year-old Nigel has also appeared in Guys and Dolls in the West End and Shrek the Musical. The news of his addition to the Strictly line-up was announced on ITV's Lorraine on Thursday (10th August).

Speaking about his excitement to join the show, Nigel said: "I'm amazed, excited, and terrified to be doing Strictly. As an armchair fan of the show I have watched in awe as people have twirled and gyrated across the screen. And now it's my turn... gulp!"

Wimbledon presenter and former British number one tennis player Annabel Croft is the 14th star to join the show. When she was aged just 15-years-old, Annabel became the youngest British player to compete at Wimbledon for 95 years.

The 57-year-old also represented Great Britain in the prestigious Wightman and Federation Cup competitions. Annabel said: "I have always loved watching Strictly and can’t quite believe I’m going to be part of this magical show – swapping tennis balls for glitter balls and looking forward to finding some joyfulness in the process."

The remaining contestants still to be announced will be revealed in due course. So far, the line-up boasts stars such as Adam Thomas, Angela Rippon and Layton Williams.

Take a look at the Strictly Come Dancing line-up so far:

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