Strictly Come Dancing announces Love Island star Cach Mercer as fifth contestant for 2026 series

Strictly Come Dancing has announced Love Island star Cach Mercer as the fifth celebrity to join the show’s line-up this year.

The reality star, 25, competed on the ITV2 dating competition last year, winning the show with now-ex Toni Laites.

“I have grown up watching the show with my family and am so excited to now be part of the cast. Dancing is a huge passion of mine and I can’t wait to learn Ballroom and do the Foxtrot for the first time!” he said ahead of his Strictly stint.

In a video posted to Instagram, he added that he’s “super excited” to finally reveal the news. “I’ve been trying to keep this one a secret for a very long time now so I’m so happy I can finally reveal it,” he added.

“I can’t wait to find out who my dance partner is and I can’t wait to find out how to get down on the dance floor.”

Mercer was a hugely popular Islander among fans of the show. He openly cried in the villa, saying he was “embarrassed” after the woman he later went onto win with, Laites, briefly went back to her ex Harrison Solomon. (Cach proceeded to spend the rest of the time in the villa joking that if anyone aired the scene of him crying, or talked about it, he’d claim the moment was actually AI.) He was also commended for a mature conversation he had with Solomon about his approach with women.

His dancing for the talent show also went down a treat with viewers, and his natural moves will put him in a good position on the Strictly dance floor.

Since appearing on Love Island, Cach has earned legions of social media followers – he has almost 50 million likes on TikTok – for his posts showing off his Afrobeat, hip-hop and street dance moves. Cach also works as a model and DJ, and is an ambassador for a young persons’ mental health charity.

The latest Strictly star will be joining names from the worlds of music, acting and reality TV – with Love Island winner Dani Dyer, EastEnders’ Lacey Turner, Aussie singer Delta Goodrem and hair stylist Chris Appleton already announced as part of the lineup. The rest of the 2026 roster is set to be announced throughout the summer ahead of its September launch.

Strictly has undergone a major slew of changes for the new season, with the departure of its beloved hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly, who are set to be replaced by presenter Emma Willis, comedian Josh Widdicombe and pro dancer Johannes Radebe.

Numerous professional dancers have also left the BBC One juggernaut, including Karen Hauer, the longest-serving female pro, and Gorka Marquez, Nadiya Bychkova, Luba Mushtuk and Michelle Tsiakkas.

And this week it was revealed that the exec producer of spinoff show It Takes Two, Eve Winstanley, has left the series for Netflix’s Love is Blind UK: The Reunion. In a LinkedIn post, she wrote that she knew it was time to leave Strictly and “hand over to a new team to freshen things up”. There have been reports that the nightly spinoff show will become a vodcast.

Strictly Come Dancing pro marries former Love Island star

Love Island USA is more of a comedy than a dating show and this season proves it

Amy Dowden says ‘every day is a gift’ after reaching cancer milestone