Who is Alex Kingston? Meet Strictly Come Dancing 2025 contestant and actor
She's stepping out of the TARDIS and onto the dancefloor.
It's time to grab your sparkles and dancing shoes as Strictly Come Dancing is back for the first live show of the series!
Among the starry line-up is actress Alex Kingston, who is best known for her role as River Song in Doctor Who and is a familiar face to a generation of viewers who grew up watching her step in and out of the TARDIS.
Alex described Sarah Hadland taking part in Strictly last year as a "catalyst" for her signing up for the series.
"We were in a play together in 2019, and we both said how much we wanted to do it, but our agents didn't approve," she told Radio Times magazine. "So when I watched her I thought, 'I've got to give it a go, then we can both fulfil the secret dream that we shared.'"
As the countdown to the first live show continues, here’s everything you need to know about actress Alex Kingston.
Who is Alex Kingston?
Age: 62
Job: Actress
Instagram: @alexkingstonofficial
Partner: Johannes Radebe
Alex Kingston is an actress with a career spanning over 45 years, with her debut at just 17 years old. She started her career featuring in the TV show Grange Hill and with an uncredited role in a St Trinian's film. She then caught a break in the States, playing the regular role Dr Elizabeth Corday in the NBC medical drama ER from 1997 to 2004.
Alex has also done much stage work, including classics such as Oliver Twist and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, but her true love is Shakespeare. Over her career, Alex has starred in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Othello and Macbeth amongst many others. She described playing Prospero in the Royal Shakespeare Company's 2023 production of The Tempest as "one of the highlights of [her] career".
But what Alex is now best known for is playing River Song in Doctor Who from 2008 to 2015. She has reprised the role in audio productions, video games and on stage.
What is Alex Kingston dancing to in Week 1 on Strictly?
Alex and her partner Johannes Radebe will be dancing a Viennese Waltz to Cry Me a River by Justin Timberlake.
What has Alex Kingston said about Strictly Come Dancing?
Alex appeared on The One Show to reveal they would be taking part in Strictly Come Dancing.
On joining Strictly, she said excitedly: "Aaaaagghhh!
"When I saw Sarah [Hadland] performing last year, I just thought, 'Oh my God'. She's done it and she went all the way," she told hosts Roman Kemp and Alex Scott.
"I reached out and asked her what her experience of having been part of the show [was], and she was really honest with me about how hard it is, how overwhelming it can be but also how it absolutely changed her life and that she would do it again in a heartbeat."
Strictly Come Dancing continues on BBC One and iPlayer on Saturday 27th September at 6:55pm.
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Authors
Katelyn Mensah is the Senior Entertainment Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.
Phoebe Kowhai Barnes is a Freelance Writer who covers pop culture and entertainment programmes for the Radio Times. She previously worked as the Senior Assistant Editor at The Tab where she managed its local department. She obtained a BA (Hons) in English Literature from University of Nottingham.
