EastEnders icon Shona McGarty is tipped to join this year’s line-up of Strictly Come Dancing.
As the popular BBC reality show gears up to celebrate it’s 20th anniversary, this year’s line-up is expected to be star studded.
Strictly fans have been speculating on which famous faces will be showing off their fancy footwork in the new series, and according to the latest betting odds former soap star Shona is set to dazzle on the dancefloor.
The 32-year-old actress is famed for playing Whitney Dean on EastEnders for 16 years. But in May, the character bowed out of Walford for good as Shona quit the long-running soap.
READ MORE: EastEnders’ Sonia affair ‘exposed’ after five-word clue — and it’s with a former flame
READ MORE: Click for more brilliant Daily Star TV stories
(Image: BBC/Kieron McCarron/Jack Barnes)
Now, only two months later the TV star is set to make a BBC return on Strictly Come Dancing.
According to Gambling.com, actor Ralf Little is a favourite to take part in Strictly 2024, and behind the Death in Paradise star is Shona with odds of 4/6.
Former Love Island star and boxer Tommy Fury is currently sitting at 8/11, with rugby star Danny Cipriani and Will Young both on evens.
Former This Morning presenter Holly Willoughby is set to return to the limelight next year when her new Netflix show Bear Hunt is released, but she is also 5/1 to join Strictly.
(Image: LightRocket via Getty Images)
Holly’s former This Morning co-host Phillip Schofield, who has kept a low profile since he quit the ITV show in May 2023 after he admitted to lying about an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger male colleague, is just 6/1 to don his Strictly dancing shoes, reports Gambling.com.
But Shona won’t be the only EastEnders star to have graced the Strictly dancefloor as Jay Brown actor Jamie Borthwick won the Christmas special in 2023.
Jamie’s success came immediately after Freddie Slater star Bobby Brazier danced his way to second place in last year’s series with dance partner Dianne Buswell.
(Image: PA)
Martin Fowler actor James Bye took part in Strictly 2022 and in one week he danced to the famous EastEnders theme tune. But he was the fifth contestant to be voted off with Amy Dowden.
Rose Ayling-Ellis, who played Walford’s Frankie Lewis, and her dance partner Giovanni Pernice won the Glitterball in 2021 with a very touching performance that Deaf raised awareness.
Iconic Sharon Watts star Letitia Dean also took part in 2007, with Jill Halfpenny and Tameka Epsom, Louisa Lytton, Nigel Harman, Nina Wadia and many more of the cast taking part over the 20 years.
Strictly Come Dancing is set to return in the autumn on BBC One.
Want all the biggest Showbiz and TV news straight to your inbox? Sign up for our free Daily Star Showbiz newsletter.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
