By Meghna Amin
Copyright dailystar
TV personality Ross King is lacing up his dancing shoes as he joins the line-up for Strictly Come Dancing 2025 . The regular guest on Lorraine was one of the last names to be announced, and will soon grace our screens alongside 14 other celebrities and their professional dance partners when the much-loved BBC contest returns this Saturday . Joining him are Gladiators icon Harry Aikines-Aryeetey (better known as Nitro), Hollywood actress Alex Kingston, Love Island champ Dani Dyer, footballer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, EastEnders ‘ Balvinder Sopal, and Youtube sensation George Clarke. Also strutting their stuff will be RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star La Voix, rugby union player Chris Robshaw, and model Ellie Goldstein. They’ll be joined by controversial Apprentice contestant Thomas Skinner, presenter Vicky Pattison, and Neighbours’ Stefan Dennis. Rounding out the line-up are ex-footballer Karen Carney and Emmerdale’s Lewis Cope, with the latter stepping in for Game of Thrones’ Kristian Nairn who had to pull out due to health issues, reports Glasgow Live . In the announcement, an excited Ross said: “From the bright lights of Hollywood to the glittering ballroom – it’s a dream come true to be part of such an iconic show. “I can’t wait to learn from the best, meet my fellow contestants, and, most importantly… try not to step on too many toes! “Let’s give this the best that I can! As my mum always said: ‘You’ll never know till you give it a go!'” Here’s everything you need to know about Ross as he gets ready to hit the Strictly dance floor. The Scottish presenter is 63 years old. During a recent chat with BBC Scotland, he revealed that he still regards Glasgow as “home” and hopes to weave Scottish dancing into his performances. “I genuinely want a bit of The Slosh put in for Scotland,” he said. “And some form of a ceilidh which apparently they’ve never done. “I’ve always been very patriotic and I love Scotland. To represent my country is just a thrilling thing.” Ross is best known as the Los Angeles Correspondent on ITV’s Good Morning Britain and Lorraine, having previously held the same role on GMTV and Daybreak. He is a four-time News Emmy winner and has hosted more than 30 television series since making his first radio broadcast at the age of 15 and TV debut at 17. Ross has been a World Judge on CBS’ The World’s Best, and hosted the likes of The Hollywood Christmas Parade and The Critics Choice Movie Awards Red Carpet. He was also the Entertainment Anchor on Los Angeles’ KTLA for six years. As well as presenting work, Ross has written three novels and for TV comedy shows, stage plays and films. He was awarded an MBE in 2018 for services to broadcasting, the arts and charity. Ross tends to keep his private life away from the spotlight, having been married twice. He wed his second wife Brianna Deutsch in 2015 in a ceremony where guests reportedly included Gerard Butler, Patsy Palmer, Vinnie Jones and Gary Barlow. However, in 2022, a source claimed they’d split, saying: “The pair have remained amicable and still run in the same circles, they just realised they weren’t on the same page romantically any more. “Ross loves living in Hollywood and has been throwing himself into work and writing novels.” Discussing his marriage previously, Ross had said: “She’s beautiful and I know I’m punching well, well above my weight. “The age difference has never been an issue. I want to have kids too. I’m not worried about being an older dad. I’m a big family man. “I still get homesick for my mum and sister in Scotland and come back as often as possible. “But I get up every day and from my house in the hills I look out across the Hollywood sign. It always makes me smile. “I’m a kid from Knightswood in Glasgow. It still feels like a fairy tale.” Strictly Come Dancing returns this Saturday at 6.40pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
