Kellie Bright: ‘Danny Dyer told me not to do Strictly!’

“He knows it’s something that’s going to be so exciting for me. I think they kind of strap you in”.

“He is a fantastic dancer – I don’t know why he’s playing it down”, she added. “I just don’t want to fall over”. “So having to get them out is why I wish I’d dieted and exercised from January”. After that, I vowed I would never dance live on TV again because it was so scary!

And he points out bookies are not basing their odds on having seen any of them dance on the show.

But The Wanted singer Jay McGuiness was less keen on his outfit, explaining: “I’m finding the sequins and the shininess a necessary evil”.

“I guess I’ve been Strictly-fied”. The outfits will be quite a challenge, dancing with a complete stranger will be a challenge but the dancing will be the biggest challenge!

“The kids are giving me ultimatums already”.

The Call the Midwife actress, who has just announced her split from husband Oliver Boot, has revealed her penchant for getting dressed up.

“When I did ballet years ago, Darcey Bussell was my hero, ” say the Royal Academy of Music graduate. “I guess it’s nice to do the flip side, it is going to be fun and completely different”.

Speaking ahead of the first show, Anita Rani, the Countryfile presenter, described her first number as a “bondage dress” made largely of “string”.

The former ITV News reader, who lives in a rambling country house near near Horsted Keynes, is best known for presenting the BBC Proms on BBC Two and also presents an afternoon show on BBC Radio 3. “It’s a lovely thing actually”.

The curse has supposedly blighted contestants’ relationships, with Countdown host Rachel Riley splitting from her husband to start a relationship with dance partner Pasha Kovalev; Susanna Reid separating from partner Dominic Cotton weeks after finishing her stint on Strictly; and Joe Calzaghe confirming he was in a relationship with partner Kristina Rihanoff after splitting with his girlfriend. “Gabby and Kenny Logan said the same”.

Fellow singer Jamelia added: “The experience I have is working with a choreographer for my pop videos, but as any other pop artist will tell you, it’s a lot of smoke and mirrors”.

But who are you are putting your money on as the early victor in this year’s series?