Gogglebox’s Scarlett Moffatt is first Strictly Christmas special contestant
By Pol Allingham, PA
Gogglebox star Scarlett Moffatt said “it’s just a dream” as she made a surprise announcement that she will compete in the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special.
The “Strictly megafan” is the first contestant to be revealed and broke the news while walking on stage as a guest panellist for Friday’s Strictly: It Takes Two programme.
The presenter will be paired with professional dancer Vito Coppola in the ballroom.
Moffatt, who won I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in 2016, said that watching Strictly on Christmas Day has been a family tradition and now her “little boy Jude gets to then watch his ma”.
The mother of one walked on to BBC Two’s Strictly: It Takes Two stage and said: “Hang on, hang on, cut the music.
“Now, the rest of the panel will be out in a minute but before they do, I’m here to tell you what your big Strictly exclusive is – drum roll please.
“I’m so excited – I am officially this year’s first Strictly Christmas special contestant.”
Moffatt, 35, added: “I just keep crying all the time and now I can say it out loud, I’m so excited.
“It’s just a dream, like honestly this is like the top of my bucket list, which I never thought I was going to be able to do, and now I get to do it.”
When presenter Janette Manrara revealed that Coppola will be Moffatt’s professional partner, the Gogglebox star joked: “I feel like we’re the same person, obviously there’s a couple of differences, but we’re the same person.”
Asked how her training has been, Moffatt said: “Honestly, even better than I could have imagined, like we’ve just laughed from start to finish.
“But I’ve also discovered muscles that I didn’t think I had, things wobble that I didn’t think would wobble, but every day is a school day isn’t it?”
Moffatt agreed when Manrara said “you’re a super, super Strictly megafan”.
On her hopes of taking home the Christmas glitterball, Moffatt said: “I genuinely already feel like I’ve won, like the fact I get to be part of it, I’m dancing with Vito.
“However, I am leaving a little space on the mantelpiece, just in case.”
Another contestant will be revealed on BBC Radio 2’s Scott Mills Breakfast Show on Monday, the crowd was told.