Pop star Pixie Lott joins Strictly Come Dancing contestants

Pixie Lott has been confirmed as the 11th celebrity taking part in this year's series of Strictly Come Dancing.

The 23-year-old singer-songwriter, model and actress gave the news via the BBC's official @bbcstrictly Twitter feed following a series of cryptic clues posted to her 1.65-million followers on social media.

She began by tweeting: "Ahh, got something very special to reveal soon cats..." and followed with "So excited! Some news is coming, can't wait to tell you!

"Announcement soon at 2.30pm UK time ... so watch this space for news," before confirming her participation on the show.

She said: "I'm so excited to be doing Strictly, it's going to be a lot of fun. I always want to push myself as a performer so can't wait to learn the routines."

As a young actress she appeared in the West End production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the London Palladium and as Louisa von Trapp in BBC One's Celebrate The Sound Of Music before embarking on her successful music career.

She joins singers Simon Webbe and Frankie Bridge, tennis coach Judy Murray, presenter Alison Hammond, former rugby player Thom Evans, Mark Wright, who shot to fame on reality show The Only Way Is Essex, actress Sunetra Sarker, EastEnders bad boy Jake Wood, Bafta-winning naturalist Steve Backshall and Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills in this year's battle for the ballroom. Three more celebrities are still to be confirmed.

The new series will be the first one without Sir Bruce Forsyth, with Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman sharing the presenting job.

 

 

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.