Former England football star Shaun Wright-Phillips is the tenth celebrity announced for Strictly Come Dancing 2026
The football legend and pundit will be in Strictly’s starting lineup when it kicks off this September
Published: 12:05 pm, 30 July 2026
Dancing is in my blood—but mainly at family events! Strictly is definitely outside my comfort zone, but I’m super excited to get started and really looking forward to the challenge!
Strictly Come Dancing 2026 is coming! The hotly anticipated new series will light up Saturday and Sunday nights this autumn on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, with pundit and former England footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips joining the celebrity cast of 2026
The news was announced on Thursday 30 July, Facebook and YouTube
Shaun is a former footballer with 36 caps for England, across a professional career that also saw him play for Manchester City, Chelsea, Queens Park Rangers, and the USA’s New York Red Bulls and Phoenix Rising FC
Now a football pundit and broadcaster, Shaun has worked with the likes of the BBC, Sky Sports, ITV, and the Premier League. Shaun has been a Manchester City club Ambassador since 2020, and is the son of football legend Ian Wright
Shaun Wright-Phillips says: “Dancing is in my blood—but mainly at family events! Strictly is definitely outside my comfort zone, but I’m super excited to get started and really looking forward to the challenge!”
Shaun joins Lacey Turner, Dani Dyer, Delta Goodrem, Chris Appleton, Cach Mercer, Will Best, Dame Sarah Storey, Jaime Winstone and Bethany Antonia in the 2026 Strictly Come Dancing line-up. Further news will be revealed throughout the summer ahead of the brand-new series getting underway on BBC One and BBC iPlayer this September. Viewers can add the show to their watchlist on BBC iPlayer now
Strictly Come Dancing is a BBC Studios Entertainment production for BBC One and BBC iPlayer
For all the latest breaking news from the ballroom check out our Strictly Come Dancing 2026 Everything You Need to Know guide
Follow For More
Big Question. Even Bigger Answer.
What has the BBC ever done for me?
Find out more about the BBC’s impact on the UK
Follow For More
Latest from the Media Centre
All news
<% /_source.pid %>
<% #_source.isTitleH2 %>
<% _source.name %>
<% /_source.isTitleH2 %>
<% ^_source.isTitleH2 %>
<% _source.name %>
<% /_source.isTitleH2 %><% _source.description %>
<% /searchResults %>
<% #isFirstLoad %>
<% /isFirstLoad %>
Search by Tag:
- Tagged with StrictlyStrictly
- Tagged with Latest NewsLatest News
