10 August 2023 , 19:57
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Strictly Come Dancing is already facing another fix row after this year's contestant Nigel Harman's dance past has been revealed.
The EastEnders star was announced as the latest contestant to take part in the BBC series. The news was revealed by Christine Lampard on ITV's Lorraine on Thursday with the Casualty actor joining the presenter in the studio. Nigel starred as Dennis Rickman in EastEnders who died in heartbreakingly iconic scenes on New Year's Eve 2005 in his lover Sharon Watts' arms.
The actor 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!" Speaking about joining the line-up with Christine, Nigel admitted: "In my mind, I think I'm a better dancer than my body is telling me."
However, some fans think Nigel has an unfair advantage due to his dance past in 2014's I Can't Sing! The X Factor Musical coming to light. Not only that, as a child Nigel got his first break aged just eight years old as a child in a sailor suit on a Croydon stage thanks to his singing and dance lessons.
Nigel starred in The X Factor musical I Can't Sing! (PA)
The actor took singing and dance lessons as a child (PA)He also starred in a Colgate advert before joining a drama school. Nigel perfected his craft even further when he went to work on a cruise ship as a dancer. Despite his past experience, the actor has admitted he is still nervous about getting critiqued by judges Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Anton Du Beke and Oti Mabuse.
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He told Christine: "I think I'm a bit in denial about that. In my mind's eye, in my utopian little world is just this wonderful thing where I'm going to learn to dance and then I'm realising that people are going to tell me what they think about that, and people are going to vote. That freaks me out." Strictly have been teasing fans with this year's line-up all week with several names being dropped across TV and radio.
Sherlock star Amanda Abbington, award-winning broadcaster Angela Rippon and West End star Layton Williams were all announced last Friday on The One Show while newsreader Krishnan Guru-Murthy was revealed on Claudia Winkelman's show on BBC Radio 2. Comedian Eddie Kadi revealed he was "honoured" when he confirmed he was the fifth celebrity to be announced on Sunday on The Official UK Afrobeats Chart Show with Eddie Kadi on BBC Radio1Xtra, while a "terrified" Angela Scanlon was announced on Monday on the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast show.
Love Island star Zara McDermott makes history as the first former Islander to take to the dance floor and BBC Asian Network’s Breakfast show host Nikita Kanda admitted it was a "dream come true" joining Strictly while World and Paralympic Champion Jody Cundy became the eleventh celebrity on Wednesday. Emmerdale star Adam Thomas, who starred as Adam Barton in the ITV soap joins Coronation Street's Ellie Leech and EastEnders' Bobby Brazier in this year's battle of the soaps.
Nigel isn't the only contestant with a dance past, as Layton has already been tipped to lift the Glitterball Trophy and ruffled fans feathers with his prior skills. The actor and West End star is 7/2 to take home the Glitterball Trophy as the line-up for the competition is announced, with Zara McDermott next best at 5/1. William Hill spokesperson, Lee Phelps, said: "The line-up for this year’s Strictly is close to being finalised and we’ve got another interesting bunch of celebrities set to put on their dancing shoes. Layton Williams, with plenty of dancing experience, is the perhaps unsurprising early favourite at 7/2, with Zara McDermott his closest pursuer at 5/1."