Strictly Come Dancing returns to our screens on BBC One this evening. The highly-anticipated return of the dance show will see celebrity contestants pair up with a professional dancer. It’s a major part of each celebrity’s Strictly journey as all fifteen contestants will be spending many hours with their dance partner both on and off the screen.
The Strictly Come Dancing 2025 launch show will air on Saturday 20 September at 6.40pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. This is the only episode of Strictly that is pre-recorded, one of the celebrities who will be putting their best dance shoes on for the foreseeable is Dani Dyer.
Most viewers will recognise Dani from ITV2’s Love Island, she won the show’s fourth series back in 2018 alongside ex-partner Jack Fincham. Others may recognise Dani as being the daughter of much-loved cockney actor, Danny Dyer.
Love Island wasn’t Dani’s first taste of television. She actually made her professional screen debut as an extra in the 2006 film “The Other Half” alongside her dad, Danny. This is just one of the many films she appeared in alongside the former EastEnders actor, Dani also appeared in Vendetta and Run for your Wife.
However, it wasn’t her small film roles that have gained her recognition in recent years, it was the Love Island win which launched her to stardom. Her relationship with her dad is also one that is loved by fans of the Dyer family.
Dani co-hosts a podcast with her dad called “sorted with the Dyers”, the description of the podcast on Spotify says: “Father-daughter team Danny and Dani Dyer tackle any and all dilemmas posted to them by listeners.
“Join Danny and Dani at home on the sofa or for frank, funny and straight-talking wisdom.” Fortunately for West Ham fan Danny, his daughter is married to the Hammers’ star player Jarrod Bowen.
The former Love Island winner married West Ham striker Bowen in an intimate ceremony in May. The proud dad shared a dance with Dani at the reception, after walking her down the aisle earlier in the day.
Dani captioned a post about the wedding: “The best day of my entire life and a day that I will want to relive forever.” The couple are proud parents of twin daughters Summer and Star, two, and four-year-old Santiago from Dani’s previous relationship.
Dani is Danny’s eldest child with wife Joanne Mas. The couple are also parents to daughter Sunnie and son Arty. Dani studied at Roding Valley High School in Loughton, Essex, and worked as a barmaid before finding fame.
Dani boasts 3.7m followers on Instagram and has worked with brands such as Vaseline, Pampers, Johnson’s Baby, Surf and more. Dani’s latest venture looks set to be one of her toughest yet, she previously discussed how nervous she was to be stepping onto the dance floor, on Instagram.
Speaking to the BBC about the show, the 29-year-old said: “Getting the opportunity to be on Strictly is the second most amazing thing I’ve done this year! I feel very very blessed and cannot wait to get my dancing shoes on.”
The news of her participation was announced on The One Show on Monday, August 11. She was the second celebrity to be announced, after Gladiators star Harry Aikines-Aryeetey.
West Ham player Bowen told the Ironcast podcast that he was under strict instructions not to tell anyone about his wife’s involvement with Strictly this year.
He said: “It was in the pipeline a couple of months ago. The rumours then start coming out and I was under strict instructions – don’t tell anyone. People were asking me and I had to say I don’t know. I’m a bad liar!
“I’m sure my weekends after a game will be to go over and watch her. She’s already had her first day not long ago and asked if we could do the dances together. But these hips aren’t like those professionals. I said she can have her dance and I’ll just come and watch.”