Strictly Come Dancing 2012 Celebrity lineup confirmed

Victoria Pendleton and Louis Smith, just are two of the names set for Strictly’s new series, kicking off on Saturday

Gold medal-winning cyclist Victoria Pendleton, who retired from her sport after her triumph in London, had made no secret of her wish to be involved, and her agent confirmed her place on the show on Twitter.

The message said: “@v_pendleton IS doing Strictly – pretty exciting and no doubt she’ll work at it to become a very good dancer. That’s what athletes do.”

She will be joined by Olympic gymnast Louis Smith, a silver medallist in the pommel horse event, and a bronze medal-winner in the team event.

Louis, 23, is no stranger to the TV reality show format, having auditioned for a previous series of X Factor, and will surely have an advantage over the less physically-trained stars.

The third sportsperson on the list is retired England cricket captain Michael Vaughan. He has quite a lot to live up to, with fellow cricketers Darren Gough and Mark Ramprakash both previous winners on the series.

From the music world, Strictly bosses have recruited Westlife singer Nicky Byrne, and Girls Aloud band member Kimberley Walsh.

From soaps-ville, Sid Owen (formerly Ricky Butcher in EastEnders) and Lisa Riley, formerly of Emmerdale, will be appearing. Actors Colin Salmon, Dani Harmer (Tracey Beaker alumna) and Denise Van Outen will also be taking to the floor.

TV presenters taking their turn include Johnny Ball, TV presenter, father of Zoe – a previous contestant on the show – and Strictly‘s oldest ever contestant at 74, Fern Britton and Daybreak presenter Richard Arnold. Model and presenter Jerry Hall completes the lineup.