Strictly announce England football legend as tenth celebrity on 2026 series

Strictly Come Dancing has revealed that the former England star will be swapping his footy boots for dancing shoes on the upcoming series of the BBC One show

Sam Huntley Senior Showbiz & TV Reporter

12:54, 30 Jul 2026Updated 13:08, 30 Jul 2026

[0_Strictly-Come-Dancing-2026.jpg]

Former England footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips is the tenth celebrity contestant on this year's Strictly(Image: PA Wire)

Strictly Come Dancing has announced that former England footy star Shaun Wright-Phillips will be taking to the dancefloor later this year. The 44-year-old has played for England as well as clubs Manchester City, Chelsea and Queens Park Rangers.

The likes of EastEnders star Lacey Turner, Love Island's Dani Dyer and Big Brother host Will Best have already been confirmed for the line-up of the 2026 series, which will air in the Autumn.

The official Strictly Instagram account revealed on Thursday (July 30) that the former footballer and pundit is the tenth celebrity on the line-up for the 2026 series. Alongside a pic of Shaun, they wrote: "Time to lace up the dancing shoes. Welcome to #Strictly former England international footballer @shaunwp98!"

[0_Soccer-2010-FIFA-World-Cup-South-Africa-Group-C-England-v-USA-Royal-Bafokeng-Stadium.jpg]

Wright-Phillips played 36 caps for England during his playing career(Image: PA)

[]

Join Gold Star!

Gold Star is the latest chapter in the evolution of the Daily Star. Our premium digital service has launched, offering you even more of our brilliant journalism but with even fewer adverts.

And if you do, this is what youll get:

- A new ad-lite subscription service offering unlimited access to Gold Star and our app, as well as a cleaner viewing experience with far fewer ads

- Access to exclusive subscriber-only articles crafted specifically for readers who want their stories to dig a little deeper. This will include unique insight from our writers alongside thought-provoking comment

- Bespoke special offers, rewards and competitions from our partners

- Access our Gold Nuggets, the juiciest picks from the Daily Star - no digging required!

- The most fun you can have with a daily news brand anywhere in the world!

Membership starts at 1.99 a month or 12 for the year. These are both Gold Star launch offers for the next 12 months so make sure you dont miss out.

Click on this article to subscribe

Shaun said: "Dancing is in my bloodbut mainly at family events! Strictly is definitely outside my comfort zone, but Im super excited to get started and really looking forward to the challenge!"

He added: "I am very excited to announce, I am joining the class of Strictly Come Dancing 2026. Im really hoping I can chuck some shapes and make everyone proud."

[Ian Wright speaking on ITV]

He is the son of footy legend and ITV pundit Ian Wright(Image: ITV)

Wright-Phillips, the son of footy icon Ian Wright, has now become a football pundit and broadcaster, appearing on the BBC, ITV, and Sky Sports.

Wright-Phillips will join Lacey Turner, Eurovision singer Delta Goodrem, Dani Dyer, celeb hairstylist Chris Appleton, Love Island's Cach Mercer, Will Best, Olympian Dame Sarah Storey, actress Jaime Winstone and House of the Dragon actress Bethany Antonia on the upcoming series.

This year's Strictly will be the first without hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly, who announced their departure from the show last year. Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe will now be fronting the show.

Have you joined Threads? Follow Daily Star to keep up to date on all things showbiz here .

Article continues below

Want all the biggest Showbiz and TV news straight to your inbox? Sign up for our free Daily Star Showbiz newsletter.

[Dailystar Icon]

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Choose Daily Star as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.

[Google Preferred Source Badge]

At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the "Do Not Sell or Share my Data" button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Terms and Conditions.