BBC has announced the first celebrities taking part in this year’s series of Strictly Come Dancing.
Tom, 36, will be taking to the dance floor in the upcoming BBC One series and will be joined in the celebrity line-up by comedian and actor Robert Webb and TV presenter AJ Odudu.
News of the trio joining Strictly was announced during BBC’s The One Show on Wednesday night.
On Thursday, former Bake Off winner John Whaite has said being part of the first all-male pairing on Strictly Come Dancing is a “great step forward in representation and inclusion”.
The chef is the fourth contestant to be confirmed for the forthcoming BBC One show and follows in the footsteps of boxer Nicola Adams, who last year danced in a partnership with professional Katya Jones.
Fletcher told co-hosts Amol Rajan and Alex Jones he was “so pleased the news is out. It has been so hard keeping it a secret”.
He said he was “equal parts excited and terrified”, adding: “I feel naked without a guitar. I am so used to holding a guitar on stage.”
He also revealed how it was McFly bandmate Harry Judd who convinced him to take part.
The drummer won the show in 2011 with professional dancer Aliona Vilani and is full of praise for the BBC hit.
Tom added: “I can’t shut Harry up about Strictly. Don’t give him any screen time. He has been giving me loads of advice already.
“I remember when he won it. I watched it every week. It was partly watching him do that and seeing what an amazing experience he had.
“He had an incredible time, so I think since then I have had this secret little desire to do it. But it has always been his thing, so I wanted to make sure he was happy with me doing it.”
What viewers may not know is success runs in the family with his wife, sister and brother-in-law all famous in their own right.
Famous wife
Tom is married to last year’s I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! winner Giovanna Fletcher.
Giovanna Fletcher is an author, actress, blogger vlogger and presenter, she has presented the CBeebies series The Baby Club since 2019.
Giovanna was crowned the first queen of the castle as the show was based at the historic Gwrych Castle, Abergele in North Wales amid Covid travel restrictions.
Tom and Giovanna met at the age of 13 having both attended the Sylvia Young Theatre School in London.
The couple eventually married in 2012 and have three children together.
Famous sister
Tom’s sister Carrie Hope Fletcher is an English actress, author, siger-songwriter and YouTube star.
The 28-year-old played small roles on television and appeared on the West End as a child.
In 2011, she launched her YouTube channel Carrie Hope Fletcher, formerly known as ItsWayPastMyBedTime, which has music and vlogs.
Her videos have amassed more than 130 million views., she has also released five bestselling novels.
Fletcher played Éponine in Les Misérables in the West End until 2016.
Famous brother-in-law
Tom’s wife is the sister of TOWIE star Mario Falcone making him Tom’s brother-in-law.
Mario made his debut appearance on The Only Way Is Essex back in 2011 during the third series.
In 2013, he entered the Big Brother house competing in the fifth series of the Channel 4 show.
Mario has said he credits is sister, Giovanna, with saving his life when he struggled with depression and attempted to take his own life.
He told Hello! magazine: “Giovanna was amazing. The ‘Mama Gi’ we saw on TV… she has always been that.
“She is super organised in a crisis and just knew what to do and got me to counselling.
“As a man you have your guard up and I felt I had to put on this kind of bravado, but she told me ‘you need to open up’. That saved my life without a doubt.”
BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing will air in the autumn as the line-up is revealed.
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