Jockey Richard Dunwoody, boxer Joe Calzaghe and ex-cricketer Phil Tufnell are also among the 16 contestants waltzing their way onto our screens next month.
Footballers' Wives actresses Zoe Lucker and Laila Rouass, Ali Bastian from The Bill , one-time EastEnders co-stars Natalie Cassidy and Ricky Groves, Olympic athlete Jade Johnson, Coronation Street ’s Craig Kelly, BBC Breakfast presenter Chris Hollins, Hollyoaks actor Ricky Whittle and former Crimewatch police officer Rav Wilding complete the cast.
Jo Wood, who split from Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood when he ran off with a teenage cocktail waitress, has been paired with Brendan Cole, Strictly’s resident heart-throb.
The new series has been overshadowed by a row over ageism at the BBC, with veteran judge Arlene Phillips, 66, dumped in favour of 30-year-old Alesha Dixon. Darcey Bussell, the 40-year-old former ballerina, will appear as a guest judge.
Jay Hunt, controller of BBC One, has denied that ageism played a part in the decision to “refresh” the judging panel. The BBC is committed to featuring “an array of different people of different ages and different ethnicity”, she said.
Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly will return as co-hosts. Daly said this year’s line-up is “possibly the strongest yet”.
In a change to previous years, the new Strictly series will kick off with shows on Friday and Saturday nights. In week three, it will revert to Saturday nights only. The Sunday night results show has been scrapped.
The points system has also been changed to avoid a repeat of last year’s voting fiasco, when the three semi-final couples tied and were all put through to the final.
The Contestants:
Ali Bastian
Lynda Bellingham
Martina Hingis
Natalie Cassidy
Jade Johnson
Zoe Lucker
Laila Rouass
Jo Wood
Phil Tufnell
Richard Dunwoody
Craig Kelly
Joe Calzaghe
Ricky Groves
Chris Hollins
Rav Wilding
Ricky Whittle
The cast for BBC One show Strictly Come Dancing has been announced from the BBC.

Contestants will include a huge number of actors and actresses, such as Laila Rouass and Zoe Lucker from ITV1 drama Footballers' Wives, Ricky Whittle from Channel 4 drama Hollyoaks, former Eastenders co-stars Natalie Cassidy and Ricky Groves, Craig Kelly from ITV1 soap opera Coronation Street, and Ali Bastian from crime drama The Bill from the same channel.

Other television personalities that will be appearing on the show include BBC Breakfast presenter Chris Hollins and former Crimewatch police officer Rav Wilding.

Also included in the cast, which will total 16, will be jockey Richard Dunwoody, boxer Joe Calzaghe, ex-cricketer Phil Tufnell, Jo Wood, who split from Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood, and former tennis star Martina Hingis.

Fern Britton will not be appearing on the show, despite previous talks with producers.  Brendan Cole is going to be teamed up with Jo Wood.