An Olympian has already broken the Strictly Come Dancing rules before taking to the dancefloor this autumn.
Award-winning swimmer Tom Dean confirmed that he is taking part in the beloved BBC dance competition this year. But the sportsman has already made one big error after he spilled the beans about his involvement in the upcoming show weeks before TV bosses announce the line-up.
Every year, the execs go to great lengths to keep the identities of the stars taking part top secret. Usually, the celebs don’t comment on speculation until it’s officially confirmed one month leading up to the show’s launch.
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But the 24-year-old – who is also known by fans as ‘Deano’ – confirmed he will be swapping out his swimming trunks for a pair of Lycra pants while speaking after the men’s 200 metres individual medley at the Paris Olympics on Thursday (August 1).
(Image: Getty Images)
He told reporters: “Naturally, you want to take a break after you’ve had a full Olympic cycle and the opportunity arose. I thought it would be really exciting to try something a bit different.
“I’ll be doing that [Strictly Come Dancing] and straight back into training after it.” Tom also confirmed that he will be seeking advice from his GB teammate Adam Peaty who danced with Katya Jones in the 2021 series.
The swimmer went on: “It’s something to look forward to. I’ve not seen [Adam] yet. He did brilliantly on it so it’ll be getting a few tips from him for sure.”
(Image: BBC/Guy Levy)
“I don’t do too well out of water in gravity sports. I’m throwing myself into it and I know what a hard day’s training is like so I’m looking forward to it.”
He added: “I guess we’ll find out. It’s something to look forward to and once I finish this, back home, relax a bit with the family and then we crack on end of August time. It’s exciting.”
In 2015, radio DJ Scott Mills explained the lengths stars go to in order to keep the line-up of each series under wraps. He told listeners: “They’re so worried about it leaking out as to who’s on it, it’s like a massive secret.
(Image: BBC)
“Obviously the papers try and guess all the time. They try and keep it under wraps so much, that they give everyone code names every year. I felt like I was in James Bond – it was so cool.”
Tom was part of the British relay team who won gold in the 4×200 men’s freestyle at the Olympics in Paris on Tuesday (July 30). A source told The Sun about Tom’s latest signing: “It’s quite a coup for the producers to bag an Olympian fresh from winning gold in Paris, and swimmers have been shows to be great contestants.
“They tend to be a sensation as a result of their fitness, competitiveness and sheer determination to win – and Tom will be pumped from his victory in France. He doesn’t quite have the same profile as other top-level swimmers yet but that’s likely to drastically change after his time on Strictly.”
(Image: Instagram)
Other stars who have been teased to be joining the star-studded line-up this autumn include TOWIE favourite Pete Wicks and DIY SOS host Nick Knowles. Fans will have to stay tuned to see how the pro swimmer will fare on the infamous dancefloor.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
