Strictly Come Dancing is almost back on our screens – and with it comes the endless debate around which celebrities have an “advantage” due to their previous dance experience.
Since the show’s very start more than two decades ago, Strictly has cast stars with all levels of dance experience and training. Much of this comes from their day jobs, where singers have to be able to move (at least a little bit) and actors are likely to have studied dance at drama school.
At the other end of the spectrum, sports players are far less likely to have dance experience (although gymnastics backgrounds can be a real advantage), and even seemingly random celebrities can have a secret passion for dance or have undergone dance lessons before their weddings.
Strictly doesn’t claim to be a level playing field, but previous dance experience can actually end up being a disadvantage for certain cast members, like Layton Williams or Amber Davies.
Still, we know you want to know just how much dance experience the stars of Strictly Come Dancing 2026 have. Well, you can read on to find out…
Bethany Antonia
While Bethany Antonia is best known for playing Baela Targareyen in Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon, the actor also has a background in musical theatre.
As a member of the British Youth Music Theatre, Antonia appeared in productions such as Hairspray and Peter Pan as a teenager. Now aged 28, she’s recently appeared in the West End production of Hadestown as Eurydice.
Speaking about joining Strictly, however, Antonia explained that she was “definitely an actor who moves, not a dancer who acts”.
“I think my friends would say it’s like an auntie at a BBQ; my maracas are out, my hips are moving a little bit,” she joked.
Chris Appleton
Hailing from the UK but based in Hollywood, father-of-two and celebrity hairdresser Chris Appleton is quick to define himself as a “dad dancer”.
Having worked in salons since he was a teenager, Appleton, 43, is not known to have any dance training.
“Any friends and family who have danced with me at parties or at home, I’d say would hopefully describe my dancing skills as always having fun! However, my kids might say otherwise,” he said.
Will Best
Big Brother presenter Will Best will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of his co-host (and Strictly finalist) AJ Odudu, and admits that while his dance style is “eccentric”, he “wouldn’t go as far as to say non-existent”.
The 41-year-old has a dance-adjacent background at least, having presented shows such as a Got To Dance spin-off and Dance Dance Dance with Strictly champ Alesha Dixon (although he’s admittedly not done much public dancing himself).
Asked to describe his signature move, Best said: “I drop to my knee, down into a very low squat, and then I spring up again whilst alternately kicking my legs. I guess you could describe it as a kind of Cossack-inspired breakdancing move. Which gets harder and harder the older my knees get, and it doesn’t look as impressive as it feels!”
Dani Dyer
The Love Island star and daughter of actor Danny, Dani Dyer is giving Strictly a second go, having been forced to withdraw from last year’s competition when she fractured her ankle in rehearsals.
That means that Dyer, 30, has been through the launch show experience once before and experienced a few week one rehearsals with her 2025 partner Nikita Kuzmin, but has very little experience elsewhere.
Speaking about dancing, Dyer said: “I’m actually not a bad dancer! I’ve always loved a dance and I’m usually the first one up at a party. If I have the technique for Strictly is another question, but I’d like to think I’ve got a bit of rhythm and plenty of enthusiasm!”
Delta Goodrem
Like many stagey kids and former child stars, Australian singer Delta Goodrem took up dancing lessons at a young age, but pivoted to singing when she put out her first demo CD aged 13. “I love dancing with all my heart, but I never get to do it!” she has said.
Of course, pop stars are often required to dance, with Goodrem, 41, showing off her skills a decade apart while appearing in a production of Cats (in the traditionally more static role of Grizabella) and performing at Eurovision earlier this year.
As a result, Goodrem has said that she has ”no idea of what level of dancing I’m at”, adding: “I think my family and friends would say that I’m a committed dancer, and I’m committed to the freedom of movement. Whether that’s on a scale of good or bad is yet to be determined!”
Graeme Hall
Given his background in dog training (and management consultancy before that), you’d be forgiven for assuming that Graeme Hall has no previous dance experience.
But the Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly star has revealed: “I did a little dancing as a hobby years ago, but had to stop when I had a stroke [in 2019]. I recovered fully after a heart operation, but I haven’t danced for years.”
Asked how his family might describe his moves, the 59-year-old said: “I think they might say it was erm... surprising. I’ll let everyone else judge whether that’s surprisingly good or otherwise.”
Cach Mercer
Rising to fame as the winner of Love Island 2025, Cach Mercer, 25, used to work professionally as a hip-hop and afrobeats dancer, and would regularly post videos online of his moves.
Mercer has not tried to hide his dancing background, saying: ”I’m always dancing and I would love to feel what it’s like to perform under pressure.”
However, hip-hop dancing is very different to ballroom and Latin, with the self-proclaimed “boogie master [and] skank king” explaining that he “can’t wait to learn Ballroom and do the Foxtrot for the first time”.
John Nellis
Of course, some Strictly stars downplay and hide even the slightest bit of dance experience, but YouTuber John Nellis at least seems to be speaking truthfully when he says plainly that he “can’t dance”.
”The last thing my friends know me for is dancing! If I had to pick a signature move, it’s probably a terrible Peter Crouch robot impression,” he said.
And it sounds like his friends and family feel the same, with Nellis, 33, saying: “I’ll put it this way; everyone I’ve told has laughed. They don’t seem to have much confidence in me. I’m good fun on a dancefloor at a wedding but I wouldn’t say I have great technique.”
Lawrence Robb
Emmerdale star Lawrence Robb has already made headlines due to his dance experience, after it was revealed that references to training in jazz, tap, ballet, modern, contemporary and pas de deux were removed from his online CV after being cast on Strictly.
But Scottish actor Robb, 34 – who has appeared in stage productions of Into the Woods, Mojo and Legally Blonde – is by no means the first Strictly star to receive dance training at drama school and appear in a musical.
Explaining his dance background, Robb said: “I trained under the umbrella of the Dance School of Scotland, but that was doing musical theatre in the same building – I didn’t train at the Dance School, so I’ve never done any Latin or Ballroom.”
Instead, he described his dance style as “lacklustre at best”, adding: “Between singing, dancing, and acting, I would place dancing right down at the bottom.”
Tabby Stoecker
As an athlete, Tabby Stoecker has lived a life dedicated to her sport, the skeleton, and winning medals for it.
“To be honest I’m hardly ever in dancing situations – I started sports straight out of school so I didn’t go out dancing much when I was younger or anything,” she said.
But before finding skeleton aged 19, Stoecker, 25, was a British schools gymnastics champion, and even trained in circus disciplines such as trapeze alongside her university studies.
On what her family would say of her dance moves, Stoecker said: “I think they’d say I’ve got rhythm and that I definitely look like I’m enjoying myself… but I don’t necessarily have any of the skills to back up my enthusiasm.”
Dame Sarah Storey
Having spent her life training in both swimming and cycling, Dame Sarah Storey is the first to admit that her dance experience has been “limited”,
She might not be a dancer herself, but the Paralympic champion, 48, is the mother to “a very talented dancer and ballerina” in her 13-year-old daughter, who performs with the English Youth Ballet.
As a result, Storey has joked that she expects “the most honest and brutal feedback” from her children.
Lacey Turner
She spent years playing Stacey Slater on EastEnders, but unlike a lot of her Albert Square co-stars (many of whom have excelled on Strictly), Lacey Turner isn’t coming to the ballroom with any dance experience.
She spent just one year aged 10 training at the Sylvia Young Theatre School before dropping out, and has said that she has “zero dancing skills”.
“All I’ve done on dance floors for the past 25 years is put my right arm up and point it in the air… so definitely room for improvement,” said Turner, 38.
Jaime Winstone
The daughter of Ray Winstone, Jaime Winston has had an extensive film and TV career of her own, but little on-screen dance experience and no training beyond a BTEC in performing arts gained a teenager.
Instead, the 41-year-old says that claims she’s more of a “raver” and interested in the voguing scene, adding: “I’m not a controlled dancer, I’ve never done a dance lesson in my life and I’ve never done a routine, so I’m quite excited to see how I get on with that.”
Melanie Walters
Welsh actor Melanie Walters is best known for playing Gwen in Gavin & Stacey, but has been acting since the 1980s, during which she’s been appeared on both screen and stage.
Explaining her background, however, Walters explained: “I’ve no formal dance training to speak of. My involvement in musicals and pantos have been as a character actress not a dancer, but I have always loved to dance.”
The 64-year-old continued: “I quite honestly can say I don’t think my family have ever seen me dance enough to comment [on my dance ability]. My friends think I’m quite a good mover though!”
Shaun Wright-Phillips
The son of Ian Wright, footballer Shaun Wright Phillips is not known to have any background in dancing, and has joked that he “dreaded” to know how his family and friends would describe his dancing skills.
“They’re used to seeing me dance at parties, but this will be the first time they’ve seen me dance while sober,” he said.
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