Oops - Has the first Strictly celeb just been revealed?
- Published
Team GB British swimmer Tom Dean has said he will be one of the celebs to compete in this year's Strictly Come Dancing line-up.
Dean won gold in the men’s 4x200m freestyle at the Paris Olympics earlier this week.
"Naturally you want to take a break after you've had a full Olympic cycle and the [Strictly] opportunity arose," he said.
"I thought it would be really exciting to try something a bit different."
The BBC has not confirmed Dean's appearance, and a spokesperson said "celebrity contestants for this year will be announced in due course".
Contestants are usually officially named on BBC TV or radio shows.
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Strictly: Who is Tom Dean?
Tom Dean is a three-time Olympic champion and will be the ninth swimmer to take part in the dancing show.
Deans says he will ask for advice from fellow British swimmer Adam Peaty, who finished ninth on the dance show in 2021.
"I've not seen [Adam] yet. He did brilliantly on it so I'll be getting a few tips from him, for sure."
At this year's Olympics Dean, James Guy, Matt Richards and Duncan Scott all made history in the men's 4x200m freestyle relay final in Paris - becoming the first swimming team with the same members to defend an Olympic relay title.
Recent Strictly controversy
Ahead of this year's competition, Strictly has announced changes into how celebs and their professional dance partners will train.
It follows a series of high profile allegations over inappropriate behaviour and training techniques which saw pro dancers, Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima leave the line-up of Strictly dancers.
Graziano wrote on social media that he "deeply regrets" the events leading up to his departure and that his "intense passion and determination to win" may have affected his training regime.
Giovanni has said that he was surprised by the allegations and rejected "any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour".
The BBC has confirmed that a member of the production team will be present at rehearsals at all times and two new producers will be looking after both the celebrities and dancer's welfare.