Strictly Come Dancing has unveiled their first celebrity contestant for the 2024 Christmas special.
Taskmaster and The Last Leg star Josh Widdicombe will be taking to the floor with long-standing Strictly pro dancer Karen Hauer in the upcoming episode.
“I am utterly terrified this will end in humiliation and worried I’m going to be so bad I will ruin Christmas for the nation,” he said of his participation in a statement. “Why have I done this?”
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Josh is one of six celebrities who will compete for this year’s Christmas Glitter Ball trophy.
Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and head judge Shirley Ballas will all be back for the festive special, critiquing and scoring the celebrity routines on offer.
The winner will be decided by a studio audience, who will vote for their favourite during the pre-recorded show.
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The festive special usually airs on Christmas Day evening on BBC One, though the exact date and time is yet to be confirmed by the broadcaster.
“Expect festive cheer, jingle bells, mistletoe madness, bedazzling baubles and six celebrities all sleighing their way to Elstree in a bid to be crowned the Strictly Christmas Champion 2024,” teases the official show synopsis.
Last year’s show saw EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick and professional partner Nancy Xu win the 2023 special with a perfect 40 out of 40 score.
He fought off competition from fellow celebrity Christmas competitors historian Dan Snow and pro Nadiya Bychkova, rugby star Danny Cipriani and pro Jowita Przystał, Sugababes’ Keisha Buchanan and pro Gorka Márquez, BBC Breakfast news reader Sally Nugent and pro Graziano Di Prima, plus Waterloo Road‘s Tillie Amartey and pro Neil Jones.
Borthwick is currently appearing in the 2024 series of Strictly Come Dancing partnered with new professional dancer Michelle Tsiakkas.
Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturdays on BBC One, while spin-off Strictly: It Takes Two airs on weeknights on BBC Two. Both shows are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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