EastEnders star Nigel Harman will be making his way to the shiny floor as he competes in this year's Strictly Come Dancing.

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Harman will be joining the likes of Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Adam Thomas and Zara McDermott on Saturday 16th September, and while a lot of the cast isn't well versed when it comes to dancing, it seems the EastEnders actor may have a few tricks up his sleeve.

While speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press, Harman was asked if he has any dancing experience, to which he admitted he does.

He said: "I did a diploma in musical theatre when I was 16. So we used to dance. I wasn't in the top stream. There was A, B and C and I started in C and ended up in B."

Viewers will recognise Nigel Harman for his portrayal as Dennis Rickman, who arrived in Walford in 2003 and was a key figure in the show for two and a half years. Harman has since starred in Casualty and Mount Pleasant.

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Nigel Harman for Strictly Come Dancing 2023, wearing a dark shirt and looking into camera
Nigel Harman for Strictly Come Dancing 2023. BBC

Prior to his TV fame, Harman worked on a cruise ship as a dancer.

"When I left college, I was on a cruise ship for six months as dancer, I hasten to add, not just doing the bingo," he explained.

He continued: "We were you know, there's levels of cruise ship. We weren't the best one. Well we tried hard and I used to have to wash the costumes in the shower. And this is the truth, I didn't tell anyone for five years because I was too embarrassed because I was trying to be you know, successful and I knew it had a stigma to it, but now I'm proud of it."

Ahead of his appearance on Strictly Come Dancing, Harman said: "I'm amazed, excited and terrified to be doing Strictly. As an armchair fan of the show, I have watched in awe as people have twirled and gyrated across the screen. And now it's my turn... gulp!"

Strictly Come Dancing starts at 6:35pm on 16th September 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.

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