Strictly Come Dancing is back
The celebrities
Zoe Ball (professional partner is Ian Waite)
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TV presenter Zoe started her broadcasting career in radio, and was the first woman to front the Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio 1 Breakfast Show alone - a show for which she won a Sony Radio Award.
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Her television presenting career began on CÖ÷²¥´óÐã and moved on to shows such as The Big Breakfast (Channel 4), Live and Kicking (Ö÷²¥´óÐã ONE), The Priory (Channel 4) and Strictly Dance Fever (Ö÷²¥´óÐã THREE).
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Zoe, although married to dance DJ Norman Cook aka Fatboy Slim, has hung up her raving shoes since the birth of her son Woody four years ago.
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Now Zoe does more dancing at weddings. She says: "It's brilliant dancing with the dads and uncles because they always know what they're doing and there's something great about being flung around by a man!"
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Zoe is hoping that her dancing will be more successful on Strictly Come Dancing than it was on Strictly Dance Fever.
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Having begged the producer to let her dance with one of the dancers at the beginning of the show, Zoe explains: "I totally messed up and threw myself on the floor rather than letting him tip me back. It was a classic Bridget Jones moment and I revealed my knickers!"
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Darren Gough (professional partner is Lilia Kopylova)
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Darren Gough started his cricketing career for Yorkshire aged 18. Since then he's represented Yorkshire, Essex and, of course, England.
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Nobody contributed more to England's four consecutive series victories (in 2000 and 2001) than Darren - he was Man of the Series against both West Indies and in Sri Lanka.
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On the one-day tour of New Zealand in 2001 to 2002, Darren damaged his knee in the final match and was forced out of the Ashes tour and the World Cup the following winter.
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The ensuing three knee operations threatened to end his career, but somehow he willed himself back to fitness in time for the 2003 season. Darren then decided to retire from Test cricket and focus his attention on the one-day game, and was the first Englishman to take 200 ODI (One Day International) wickets.
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Darren says of his dancing ability: "The last time I danced was after a semi-final win against Australia. Freddie Flintoff and I did some rock 'n' roll moves. I also won a prize for
rock 'n' roll dancing at a youth club when I was 16 – but only three people entered."
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He promises to give 120 per cent - however, when it comes to his dancing partner, "The prettier she is the better! Let's hope she doesn't fall for me!"
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In his spare time Darren plays golf and is a film buff.
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Siobhan Hayes (professional partner is Matthew Cutler)
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Siobhan is best known as Abi in the popular Ö÷²¥´óÐã ONE sitcom My Family. She has been in the last three series, loves her character very much and, like Abi, she can be a bit clumsy.
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She says: "With any role you put part of yourself into the character. I think Abi is a likeable person who means well."
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Her other TV work includes Little Britain, Cry Wolf, The Bill, EastEnders, Holby City and Birds of a Feather.
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She also appeared in three series of the Radio 4 comedy drama Absolute Power with Stephen Fry.
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Siobhan would love to be in a musical, an ambition that may be helped by her appearance on Strictly Come Dancing.
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Siobhan has been keen on dancing since she was a child and says of her involvement in Strictly Come Dancing: "I've always believed it is good to learn a new skill and what better skill to have under my belt than dancing!"
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Gloria Hunniford (professional partner is Darren Bennett)
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Television presenter Gloria was the first woman to have her own daily show on Radio 2, which she presented for 13 years until 1995.
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She was also one of the first women to host her own highly successful chat show Sunday, Sunday which ran for many years.
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Open House with Gloria Hunniford gave Channel 5 its highest- ever ratings.
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Born in Northern Ireland, Gloria is warm, funny and down to earth. She has always enjoyed dancing and took lessons as a child, memories of which she is hoping will come back to her and stand her in good stead.
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Gloria and her husband still enjoy a bit of a bop and a jive.
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Gloria's daughter, Caron Keating, tragically lost her battle with breast cancer in April 2004, aged 41.
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Gloria says of her decision to take part in Strictly Come Dancing: "The last 18 months have been particularly hard and I feel now is the time to do something for myself - get fitter and also have lots of fun along the way."
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Colin Jackson CBE (professional partner is Erin Boag)
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Colin Jackson is undoubtedly one of the greatest athletes in the history of British and Welsh athletics.
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He is the reigning world record holder for both the indoor 60m hurdles and outdoor 110m hurdles.
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In 2002 he made history by becoming the European champion for the fourth successive time (in indoor 60m hurdles).
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The same year, he won a Silver medal at the Commonwealth games in Manchester (after hitting the first hurdle!), and he also won Gold at the European Championships in Munich.
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Since he retired in 2003, Colin has worked as a sports commentator for the Ö÷²¥´óÐã and was part of the Ö÷²¥´óÐã's team that covered the 2004 Olympics in Athens and this year's World Championships in Helsinki.
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He's also a regular on the corporate speaking circuit and wrote his autobiography in 2003.
Colin was awarded the MBE in 1989 for services to athletics and this was upgraded to a CBE in 2003.
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He feels that Strictly Come Dancing, like athletics, has an ultimate goal – the final.
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He says: "I'm looking forward to the hard work and have started fitness training already! I'll find it alien dancing so close to a stranger, though."
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Jaye Jacobs (professional partner is Andrew Cuerden)
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Jaye Jacobs arrived on our screens in March 2004 as Nurse Donna Jackson on Holby City. Jaye thinks Donna is great and describes her as a drunken version of herself!
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Bright, bubbly and confident, Jaye describes herself as hyperactive and bouncy - as she says: "I'm certainly not delicate."
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Jaye's TV credits include Perfectly Frank, Places from the Heart, Blue Peter and Teen Magazine Show.
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Jaye is also a capable gymnast, trampolinist and javelin thrower.
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With her gymnastic and trampolining experience, she's no stranger to a leotard and intends to tackle Strictly Come Dancing head first: "I don't intend to play it safe. I want to be daring with the dancing, costumes and music."
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Although her biggest fear is a boob popping out, Jaye also admits it will be hard not to take the judges' comments personally.
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James Martin (professional partner is Camilla Dallerup)
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Ever since James Martin's first TV appearance in November 1996 (after being spotted in the Hotel Du Vin in Winchester by Sky), he has rarely been off screen.
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He's appeared on over 40 different TV programmes including Ready Steady Cook, Ö÷²¥´óÐã Housecall, Kitchen Invaders, Castle in the Country, Out of the Frying Pan, Hell's Kitchen and Junior Masterchef.
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After graduating, James toured France working in old chateaux. At 21 he was head hunted to take up the position of Head Chef at the Hotel du Vin and Bistro in Winchester, and for the past five years he's managed his own deli and bakery, Cadogan & James.
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Of his involvement in Strictly Come Dancing, James says: "For a chef, the idea of a gym is like hell on earth so hopefully I can get fit and have fun too. The ultimate prize would be to win and I can guarantee that I will try harder than anyone else on the show – I'm used to putting in the hours!"
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Patsy Palmer (professional partner is Anton du Beke)
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Patsy Palmer was only 21 when she landed the life-changing role of Bianca in EastEnders. She stayed on the show for over six years, with storylines that included giving birth in the Queen Vic, having an affair with her mum's boyfriend, and trying to seduce David Wicks, unaware that he was in fact her father.
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Since leaving EastEnders, Patsy has worked as a television presenter, toured with a number of different theatre performances, released a fitness video and launched her own beauty range.
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She also starred in Ö÷²¥´óÐã ONE's murder mystery series McCready and Daughter in 2001.
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Patsy hopes to leave the series feeling fit, with an amazing new skill and having had a brilliant time.
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She says: "This is an amazing new world that only a couple of weeks ago I never would have dreamed I would be involved in."
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She took part in the series because her mother-in-law said she wouldn't speak to her if she didn't!
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Fiona Phillips (professional partner is Brendan Cole)
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Fiona has been GMTV's main anchorwoman presenting GMTV Today for the last eight years.
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Before securing her seat on the red sofa, Fiona was GMTV's Entertainment and then LA Correspondent. Whilst out in LA she most notably covered the LA earthquake, the Michael Jackson alleged child molestation case and the OJ Simpson trial.
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Fiona is married to GMTV's Editor, Martin Frizell, whose encouragement was a big reason behind her accepting the challenge of Strictly Come Dancing. They have two children.
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Fiona actively dislikes dancing and feels very self-conscious on the dancefloor. She has never had a dance lesson in her life and cannot remember the last time she did dance.
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However, it is the shoes that are providing her with her biggest worry. She says: "The heels are going to be a problem. I can't walk in heels, let alone dance!"
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Dennis Taylor (professional partner is Izabela Hannah)
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Larger-than-life Dennis, famed for his upside down spectacles, famously won the World Snooker Championship title in 1985 in a nail-biting climax against Steve Davis which was watched by 18.5 million people, an unbeaten audience at midnight on Ö÷²¥´óÐã TWO.
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At the turn of the century Dennis put away his cue and is now a snooker commentator. Always an entertaining player, Taylor has always been widely sought-after for his exhibition evenings - where his combination of trick shots, humour and top-class snooker have made him popular with every audience.
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Dennis has fond memories of going to dinner dances in Ireland with his late mother.
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He was a big fan of the first two series and says of his chances in this series: "I have no intention of winning the thing. My main focus is to have as much fun as possible and see how good I could become under the wing of a professional dancer."
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Will Thorp (professional partner is Hanna Haarala)
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Will Thorp joined Casualty in December 2004 as Paul 'Woody' Joyner. He loves his job but admits that due to being recognised, the supermarket shop isn't as easy as it used to be.
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Will was always involved in school plays as a child and, after studying drama at the Bristol Old Vic for three years, Will moved to London where he began his career in the theatre.
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Will's theatre work has included Much Ado About Nothing, Robbers, Naked Flame, High Society and The Lost Dragon, and his screen work includes Jodie, Courtroom, Boys will be Boys and Rugby Road.
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He says: "Whenever I've seen Strictly Come Dancing in the past, I've felt really sorry for the contestants… now that's going to be me!"
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Will's main motivation is to have some fun and he promises to work and practise hard.
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Bill Turnbull (professional partner is Karen Hardy)
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Ö÷²¥´óÐã Breakfast presenter and journalist Bill is laid back with a good sense of humour.
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Before joining the Ö÷²¥´óÐã Breakfast presenting team full time in 2001, Bill was News Correspondent for the Ö÷²¥´óÐã.
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The stories that he has covered include the Lockerbie disaster, the Romanian Revolution and, most notably, the dreadful events of 11 September.
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Bill is married with three teenage children. His wife is very keen for Bill to learn to dance.
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He says: "After this, I have no excuse not to dance with my wife - so I need to leave knowing how to do at least one dance properly."
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Bill has two wishes for the series: firstly he would like to pass round one and secondly he would like to try not to embarrass himself or his family.
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He says of his chances: "I'm encouraged by the last series because there were people as rhythmically challenged as me!"
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