BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing has confirmed Richie Anderson will be joining the 2022 series as the third-ever same-sex pairing. The ex-footballer and current BBC Radio 2 presenter will be following in the footsteps of 2021’s John Whaite and Johannes Radebe and 2020’s Nicola Adams and Katya Jones.
He is the third celebrity who has been announced for the upcoming series. He will appear alongside Will Mellor and Kym Marsh.
The news was announced on Radio 2’s Breakfast Show this morning, for which Anderson presents travel bulletins and a range of his own shows. He has called the opportunity “a dream come true.”
He continued, “I cannot wait to get in those sparkles and sequins and shimmy across the most famous dance floor in the world! Strictly is the ultimate feel-good show, as soon as I hear that iconic theme tune it’s just pure escapism.
“I’m going to have to cancel my legendary Strictly launch night kitchen party that I throw every year, I’m sure my friends and family will understand.”
Swapping early mornings for Saturday nights, Richie Anderson joins our line-up! ??
? https://t.co/fL7YA6QS8e @richie_anderson @BBCRadio2 #Strictly pic.twitter.com/EGGMdNjFsj
— BBC Strictly ✨ (@bbcstrictly) August 5, 2022
Richie Anderson emphasised the importance of having a same-sex partnership for bringing LGBTQ+ representation to screens across the UK and Ireland.
“It’s also a massive honour to be part of an all-male dance partnership, it’s so important we have that inclusion on such a huge show.”
Although his partner has yet to be announced, Anderson posted a Tweet stating “Good luck to my pro partner as my dancing skills have previously been compared to Bambi on ice! Bring it on.”
Anderson first gained public attention in 2018 after coming out to his teammates during a documentary investigating homophobia in sports. He is an RTS award-winning presenter and is best known for his role on BBC’s Radio 2’s Breakfast Show, presenting travel bulletins and a range of his own shows.
He is a regular presenter on The One Show and was part of the channel’s Platinum Jubilee coverage. He also travelled to Turin to cover the Eurovision Song Contest.
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