The first Strictly Come Dancing contestant has been revealed

The new series starts soon!

Published 7th Aug 2017
Last updated 7th Aug 2017

It's that time of year again, rumours are flying around as to which celebrities will be hitting the ballroom for the new series of popular dancing show Strictly Come Dancing and now the first contestant for the upcoming series has been officially confirmed.

Taking to Twitter to announce the news, the show revealed former singer from The Saturdays Mollie King is the first confirmed contestant.

The tweet read, 'Welcome @MollieKing our first #Strictly celebrity of 2017! ' along with a snap of the singer.

Speaking about the news, the 'Higher' singer said, "I'm a huge fan of Strictly Come Dancing so I can't actually believe I'm lucky enough to be taking part in it this year! I'm literally so excited to learn Latin and ballroom dancing, and of course I can't wait to get into the sequins too!"

She added, "It's going to be a lot of hard work but I'm ready for the challenge."

The 30-year-old first shot to fame when she joined girl band The Saturdays alongside Frankie Bridge, Rochelle Humes, Una Healey and Vanessa White in 2007. The band supported Girls Aloud on tour before going on to have massive hits of their own including 'Up', 'Work' and 'What About Us'.

Mollie follows in the footsteps of her friend and former The Saturdays band mate Frankie.

Frankie appeared on the show back in 2014 and finished as runner-up in the final with her dance partner Kevin Clifton, so we expect Mollie will be asking her friend for some dance tips!

Frankie Bridge © PA Images

Frankie Bridge © PA Images

Despite Mollie being the only celebrity to be confirmed for the new series, a lot of other famous faces have been rumoured for the show.

The likes of Ross Kemp, Matt Goss, Alexandra Burke and fitness blogger Joe Wicks have all been named as possibilities for the new series which kicks off next month.

The show will be hoping to continue its success despite head judge Len Goodman leaving the judging panel. Len appeared on the show since it first started back in 2014, but last year announced the series would be his final.

New judge Shirley Ballas has been brought in to replace Len, with three brand new professional dancers also joining the show.

Shirley Ballas © Getty Images

Shirley Ballas © Getty Images

The new series with hosts Tess Daley and Claudia Winkleman is set to land next month, with more celebrities expected to be confirmed in the coming weeks.