Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special 2025 cast: Confirmed line-up

The Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special is nearly upon us, as a new cohort of celebrities head onto the ballroom floor for an upbeat offering to beloved festive songs we all know and love.

Just four days ago, Karen Carney and Carlos Gu were crowned the winners of Strictly 2025 and now, there'll be another champion joining the hall of fame.

This Christmas special will be an emotional one, as it'll also mark the last time Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly will host the programme, following the news of their departure.

Last year, former RuPaul's Drag Race UK star Tayce and and pro Kai Widdrington lifted the festive Glitterball, but who will follow in their footsteps?

As we wait to find out, read on to find out who is taking part in the Strictly Come Dancing 2025 Christmas special.

Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special 2025 cast: Confirmed line-up

The celebrities announced to be taking part so far are as follows:

• Scarlett Moffatt
• Melanie Blatt
• Jodie Ounsley
• Nicholas Bailey
• Babatunde Aléshé
• Brian McFadden

Read on to find out more about this year's contestants and who they'll be dancing with.

Scarlett Moffatt

Age: 35

Job: TV personality

Instagram: @scarlettmoffatt

Professional dance partner: Vito Coppola

Scarlett Moffatt was the first celebrity to be announced for the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special 2025.

Scarlett is a TV personality who first rose to fame alongside her family on Gogglebox. It was from there her popularity grew, going on to win I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in 2016. Since then, she has worked on the BBC Sounds podcast Scarlett Moffatt Wants to Believe, Channel 4 documentary Britain’s Tourette’s Mystery: Scarlett Moffatt Investigates and 30 episodes of the cookery show Love Bites.

She said of joining this year's festive line-up: "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."

Melanie Blatt

Age: 50

Job: Singer

Instagram: @melanieblatt

Professional dance partner: Kai Widdrington

Melanie Blatt is an English singer who is best known for being part of the girl group All Saints, which she became a member of in 1997. As part of the band, Melanie had five UK number one hit singles and won two BRIT awards, selling over 10 million albums worldwide.

She has also released music as a solo artist, including single Do Me Wrong and See Me. In 2o13 and 2015, she also appeared as a judge on The X Factor NZ.

On joining Strictly Come Dancing this Christmas, Melanie Blatt said: "If you can't have a dance at Christmas, when can you?! I'm so excited to meet Kai and start training to make this a dance to remember."

Jodie Ounsley

Age: 24

Job: Sports star and TV personality

Instagram: @jodieounsley

Professional dance partner: Neil Jones

Jodie Ounsley is a former professional Exeter Chiefs rugby player, who many viewers will recognise from Gladiators as Fury.

Prior to her role on the BBC One series, Ounsley was very successful in her sporting career, having won titles for former England Women's Rugby Seven's player, a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu British Champion and five times World Coal Carrying champion.
Jodie has been profoundly deaf from infancy, and received a cochlear implant as a child, becoming one of the youngest people in the UK to undergo the procedure.

Jodie Ounsley said: "I'm absolutely buzzing to be doing the Strictly Christmas Special. Being the first female rugby player means a lot to me too.

"I honestly can’t wait to get stuck in, I’m used to smashing into people so this is definitely going to be a challenge!"

Nicholas Bailey

Age: 54

Job: Actor

Professional dance partner: Luba Mushtuk

Nicholas Bailey is an actor best known to EastEnders fans for his role as Dr Anthony Trueman, who first arrived in Walford 25 years ago. He appeared as a series regular until 2003, making several guest appearances over the years before returning for a current stint in 2025.

His other acting credits include Death in Paradise, Casualty, The Archers, Coronation Street and Miranda. Outside of television, Bailey has performed on stage across the UK and in the West End, including Dream Girls and Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap.

Bailey said: "I'm really excited to be doing this, almost as excited as my wife and daughters are! Hopefully I’ll do them, Albert Square and Luba proud. Bring on the dancefloor."

Babatunde Aléshé

Age: 39

Job: Comedian

Instagram: @babatundecomedian

Professional dance partner: Nancy Xu

Babatunde Aléshé is a comedian and podcaster who fans may recognise from his various TV appearances, including Taskmaster, Celebrity Gogglebox and I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.

He, alongside comedians Mo Gilligan and Eddie Kadi, recently launched a new podcast Man Like You.

Babatunde Aléshé said: "I used to do a little dancing when I was in college. I used to do Street Locking and Break Dancing, but then I found comedy and pursued that instead.

"At 39 I’ve accepted that a good two-step is all I need to get by at any function, but I know that won't be enough for Strictly! Let's hope the old moves come back to me in time for Christmas."

Brian McFadden

Age: 45

Job: Singer

Instagram: @brianmcfadden123

Professional dance partner: Michelle Tsiakkas

Brian McFadden is a singer-songwriter who rose to fame as a member of Westlife, achieving 12 number one singles including Flying Without Wings and World of Our Own.

Brian later topped the charts as a solo artist, and went on to release four solo albums. In recent years Brian has released two albums and toured extensively as part of Boyzlife, his collaboration with Keith Duffy.

McFadden said of joining the festive line-up: "I’m delighted to be a part of the Strictly Christmas special. We are big fans of Strictly in our house so to be dancing on Christmas Day on such a magical show will make it a Christmas to remember."

The Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special 2025 will air on Thursday 25th December at 5:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.