Strictly Come Dancing 2025: Influencer George Clarke confirmed for celebrity line-up
Nancy Brown | 4:52pm Tue 12 AugStrictly Come Dancing has confirmed its next celebrity contestant for the 2025 series – YouTuber George Clarke.
He joins a trio of stars who were announced on The One Show last night – Dani Dyer, Alex Kingston and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. As well as EastEnders legend Balvinder Sopal, who was announced earlier today (August 12).
The first celebrity to be announced was Gladiators star Harry Aikines-Aryeete, who originally took part in the Strictly Come Dancing 2024 Christmas special.
Influencer George Clarke is the sixth contestant on this year’s Strictly [Credit: Splash News]
Strictly Come Dancing 2025: Who is George Clarke?
“I feel like a lot of people will be saying, who?!” George, 25, joked when his name was announced on Radio One today (August 12). “It hasn’t quite sunk in yet, it doesn’t quite feel real.”
George Clarke is a British TikTok and YouTube star with a fan base of more than 12 million followers across multiple platforms. Known for his comedic and relatable content, George has captivated audiences with his unique style, engaging vlogs and collaborations.
In 2022, he launched a hit podcast The Useless Hotline, alongside his co-host Max Baledge which took them on a successful tour around the UK. He has also appeared on a Netflix game show called Inside, now available to stream.
George added: “Never thought I’d say this… but I’m doing Strictly! Honestly, I’ve got no idea what I’m doing but I’m excited to get stuck in … and potentially fall over a fair bit.”
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Rumoured Strictly celebrities
Six celebrities have now been confirmed for Strictly Come Dancing 2025, but there are already plenty of other rumoured names in the mix. 15 celebrities usually take part in Strictly Come Dancing each year.
Check out TV Guide’s full list of rumoured Strictly Come Dancing celebrities here.
Judges and new faces
The BBC has already confirmed this year’s Strictly Come Dancing pros. They include all of the fan favourites, including Aljaz Skorjanec, Amy Dowden, Vito Coppola and Johannes Radebe.
There are also two new pros joining the Strictly dancer line-up this year. They are Alexis Warr and Julian Caillon. American dancer Alexis has already appeared on So You Think You Can Dance? and Dancing With The Stars. Julian, from Australia, has appeared on the show’s counterparts Down Under, too.
Last week, Gorka Marquez announce he will miss a big chunk of this series. Gorka will also not be having a celebrity partner this year.
The dancer has a clash of schedules after landing a job on the Spanish version of Strictly, called Bailando Con Las Estrella. It means he will only be able to pre-record the group dances for Strictly UK and then bow out until later in the series.
The judging panel is remaining the same this year. Shirley Ballas will be back as Head Judge, sitting alongside Anton Du Beke, Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse.
When does Strictly Come Dancing start?
The BBC is yet to confirm when this year’s Strictly Come Dancing will start, although it usually kicks off in September. Last year, the pre-recorded launch show aired on September 14 and the first live show followed the week after.
The series will air every Saturday in the run up to Christmas. The dreaded results show airs on a Sunday night. The 2024 finale aired on December 14. Last year, Chris McCausland and his professional partner Dianne Buswell scooped the Glitterball Trophy.
Read more: Best entertainment shows coming this autumn – include I’m A Celebrity – Get Me Out Of Here!
