Stoecker signs for Strictly

Olympic Champion Tabby Stoecker is joining the cast of hit TV show Strictly Come Dancing.

The 26-year-old won Olympic team gold with Matt Weston in Cortina six months ago and saw her profile go through the roof as a result.

Stoecker, who also won individual Overall World Cup bronze and Overall team gold last season, has had a long-held ambition to join the show, even revealing that lofty goal when she first started with the British Skeleton programme back in 2019.

“I am over the moon to be joining the cast of Strictly 2026,” said Stoecker, a former gymnast who finished fifth in the women’s event at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games a day before winning team gold.

I’ve had the wildest year of my life so far, so to be rounding it off with a childhood dream of dancing in the Strictly ballroom is surreal and I can’t wait to get stuck in!

Stoecker is also continuing her skeleton career and will head back out on ice in the New Year.

The Londoner is the 13th celebrity cast member to be announced, joining Lacey Turner, Dani Dyer, Delta Goodrem, Chris Appleton, Cach Mercer, Will Best, Dame Sarah Storey, Jaime Winstone, Bethany Antonia, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Graeme Hall and Lawrence Robb in the line-up.

Former sporting stars to have graced the dance floor in one of television’s most popular programmes include fellow Olympic Champions Denise Lewis, Greg Rutherford and Victoria Pendleton; footballers Alex Scott and Robbie Savage; rugby stars Ben Cohen, Kenny Logan and Gavin Henson; boxing World Champion Joe Calzaghe; and Wimbledon winner Martina Hingis.  

Olympic Gymnast Louis Smith won the 2012 series, while England cricketers Darren Gough and Mark Ramprakash triumphed in 2005 and 2006 respectively.

The new series of Strictly Come Dancing will air in September on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

The latest edition of the fans’ favourite will feature new hosts, with Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe taking over from Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.