While Strictly Come Dancing is in full swing – with injuries here, there, and everywhere – the Christmas special isn’t far away, and a third celebrity has just been announced for the star-studded lineup.
Gladiators star Jodie Ounsley – aka Fury – joins Gogglebox star Scarlett Moffatt in Strictly’s festive cast, as well as All Saints singer Melanie Blatt.
The remaining three celebrities will be announced this coming week on Strictly: It Takes Two at 6:30pm.
This year, six couples will dance their hearts out to be in with a chance of becoming the Strictly Christmas Champion, under the watchful gaze of judges Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, and Anton Du Beke.
It will be long-time hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly’s last hurrah on the show, after they announced they would be stepping away from the series earlier this year.
The Christmas special will air on Christmas Day, but will be recorded ahead of time. Last year, drag queen Tayce and her pro Kai Widdrington were victorious.
Christmas contestants have also become known to sign up for the main series, such as Jamie Borthwick in 2024 and Harry Aikines-Aryeetey in 2025, so perhaps these faces will reappear in the future.
Who’s in the Strictly 2025 Christmas special? Here are the confirmed names so far…
Jodie Ounsley
Jodie Ounsley is the third contestant confirmed for this year’s Strictly Christmas special, although you might know her best as Fury.
The Gladiators star, 24, joined the BBC’s revival of the hit programme in 2024.
She’s also known for her interviewing work during Channel 4’s coverage of the Paralympic Games in Paris, and she played rugby union for Premier 15s side Exeter Chiefs Women as a winger.
She made history in 2019, becoming the first deaf female rugby player to play for a senior England side. Not only that, but she was the world’s very first deaf female rugby sevens international.
Oh, and to top it all off, there’s no need to worry about her struggling with stamina in Strictly training, as she’s also a former British-Brazilian jiu-jitsu champ.
Speaking on It Takes Two about signing up for the Christmas episode, Jodie told viewers: ‘If you’ve seen me as a Gladiator or as a rugby player, I’m serious, I’m powerful, I don’t mess around, but with this, I really just want to be able to let go and just have fun with it.’
It’s been confirmed that she will be dancing with professional Neil Jones.
‘I’m chuffed, because obviously he’s an amazing dancer, but he just gets into character, and I think that’s exactly what I need, just us together, hopefully I’ll be flying,’ said Jodie.
Melanie Blatt
Melanie Blatt was the second star to be announced for the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special.
As part of the 90s band All Saints – alongside original members Shaznay Lewis and Simone Rainford – Melanie had five UK number one hit singles and won two Brit awards, selling over 10million albums worldwide.
In recent years, she’s pivoted to cooking, as Melanie founded a gourmet burger business and appeared as a Celebrity MasterChef finalist.
She was also in the second series of Celebrity Race Across the World and starred in Taskmaster’s New Year Treat.
On joining Strictly this Christmas, Melanie said: ‘If you can’t have a dance at Christmas, when can you?!’
Melanie will be paired with Kai Widdrington, whose first Strictly partner was AJ Odudu in 2021. He’s since been partnered with Angela Rippon and, this series, was recently eliminated with Vicky Pattison.
‘I’m so excited to meet Kai and start training to make this a dance to remember,’ Melanie shared.
Scarlett Moffatt
Former Saturday Night Takeaway presenter Scarlett Moffatt, 35, will be paired with Vito Coppola, who won Strictly’s main series in 2023 with Ellie Leach.
She revealed the news during a live It Takes Two episode on BBC Two, appearing as a guest on the Friday panel.
Scarlett said of her casting: ‘Strictly has always held a special place in my heart, so being part of the Christmas special feels truly magical.
‘It’s the show that brings everyone together around the TV, and being part of that is a genuine personal and career highlight.
‘I’m sure it’ll also introduce me to a few muscles I didn’t know I had. I can’t wait to live my best life on that dancefloor.’
Having shot to fame as a sofa critic alongside her parents on Gogglebox on Channel 4, Scarlett has acquired plenty of TV experience in the years since.
The Geordie star captured the hearts of the nation during the 2016 series of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, which she won.
Presenting-wise, her work includes six series of the BBC Sounds podcast Scarlett Moffatt Wants to Believe, alongside Streetmate, the Channel 4 documentary Britain’s Tourette’s Mystery: Scarlett Moffatt Investigates, and 30 episodes of the cookery show Love Bites.
You might have also seen her on TV alongside Ant and Dec for I’m A Celebrity: Extra Camp, on the panel show Celebability, or on Crufts Extra.
Speaking to host Janette Manrara on It Takes Two, Scarlett was bursting with excitement that the secret was finally out
‘I just keep crying all the time,’ she joked. ‘I can say it out loud! I’m so excited.’
She described the gig as a ‘dream’ and at the ‘top of [her] bucket list’, saying she feels that she and Vito are ‘the same person’.
The new pairing have already started training for their performance, with the Christmas special involving just one dance from the celeb. Scarlett’s dance style is yet to be revealed.
‘We’ve just laughed from start to finish,’ Scarlett said, quipping: ‘Every day’s a school day!’
