Strictly Come Dancing 2024: Chris McCausland and JB Gill announced as first two celebrity contestants
First Blind Contestant Announced By Strictly
Chris McCausland is the initial famous participant announced for the upcoming season of Strictly Come Dancing.
Comedian Chris McCausland will be a part of Strictly Come Dancing this fall, becoming the first blind contestant in the show's history.
"I'm not a dancer, I've never danced, I'm not able to dance, I can't imagine the dancing I'll have to do. What could possibly go awry?," quipped McCausland, who became blind in his twenties.
JLS band member JB Gill has been announced as the second famous participant to join the upcoming season of Strictly Come Dancing.
Gill expressed his excitement about demonstrating his new abilities to his bandmates.
Strictly Come Dancing will be back on BBC One this fall.
The television program has been shaken by famous individuals making claims about their experiences on the show in the past few weeks.
McClausland often appears on popular comedy shows like Have I Got News for You and QI.
When he appeared on ITV's This Morning on Monday, he mentioned that his involvement in Strictly Come Dancing was no surprise to anyone in the entertainment industry, as rumors had been circulating in the newspapers for weeks.
Sense, a charity that helps people with disabilities, was happy to hear that he was going to be on the show. They said it was an important moment for representing people with disabilities.
JB Gill mentioned that when he received the invitation to participate in Strictly, he quickly agreed without any hesitation.
JB Gill is a member of the popular boy band JLS, which became famous after appearing on The X Factor and releasing hit songs like Beat Again and Everybody In Love.
The vocalist expressed his fondness for the experience of performing on the Strictly Christmas special more than ten years ago.
However, during his interview on This Morning, he confessed that certain dance styles, such as ballroom dancing, felt unfamiliar to him.
"I have a lot to learn," he stated, acknowledging the challenge ahead.
The other famous competitors taking part in the upcoming season will be revealed at a later time.
Strictly has been surrounded by controversy as allegations have surfaced regarding the way some of the celebrities are being treated on the show.
Actress Amanda Abbington, who danced with Giovanni Pernice, has stated that she felt his reported actions were "unnecessary, abusive, cruel, and unkind".
The person who speaks for Pernice has said before that there is no truth to any claims of being mean or aggressive. Pernice will not be appearing in the upcoming series of the show.
Television actress Zara McDermott has shared that she experienced some uncomfortable situations in the Strictly Come Dancing rehearsal space, which she now finds very upsetting to see again.
A representative for Graziano Di Prima, a professional dancer, acknowledged to BBC News that he had physically struck McDermott during a rehearsal in the previous year.
Di Prima has departed from the show as well.
The BBC has announced that they will implement new steps to enhance care and assistance for contestants on the show. This includes having a supervisor present at all times during practice sessions in the training room.
