Love Island winner Cach Mercer is latest celebrity confirmed for Strictly Come Dancing
The former Love Island champion has been unveiled as the latest celebrity contestant for the revamped 2026 series of Strictly Come Dancing, joining a growing line-up ahead of the show's return.
Cach Mercer is the latest celebrity confirmed for Strictly Come Dancing.
The Love Island winner, 25, has signed for the BBC ballroom competition as it prepares to launch a revamped 2026 series.
Cach won Love Island in 2025 alongside Toni Laites, before the pair later split.
The BBC announced Cach as the latest contestant for this year’s Strictly Come Dancing on Thursday (09.07.26), and the show will see him compete alongside EastEnders actress Lacey Turner, singer Delta Goodrem, celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton and Love Island winner Dani Dyer.
Dani is returning to the competition after being forced to withdraw from the 2025 series with a fractured ankle before the live shows began.
The new series will also usher in a major overhaul, with Emma Willis, comedian Josh Widdicombe and professional dancer Johannes Radebe replacing long-time hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly.
Cach said: “I have grown up watching the show with my family and am so excited to now be part of the cast.
“Dancing is a huge passion of mine and I can’t wait to learn ballroom and do the foxtrot for the first time!”
Cach becomes the second Love Island winner confirmed for the 2026 line-up after Dani’s return was announced earlier this summer.
Dani won the ITV dating show in 2018 before building a television career through programmes including Celebrity Gogglebox, Celebrity MasterChef, Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins and The Dyers’ Caravan Park alongside her father Danny Dyer.
Cach’s signing is also likely to attract attention because of his dance background.
Before finding fame in the Majorcan villa of Love Island, he worked extensively as a dancer and built a following on social media by posting dance performances, prompting speculation that he could enter the competition with more experience than many celebrity contestants.
The BBC has yet to confirm the full celebrity line-up, although television personality Jake Quickenden and Paralympic champion Sarah Storey have both been widely reported as being in talks to take part.
Strictly Come Dancing remains one of the BBC’s biggest entertainment programmes, with the Glitterball Trophy competition returning after an off-season that saw several professional dancers leave and the presenting line-up refreshed.
The programme, first launched in 2004, has become a staple of the broadcaster’s autumn schedule and has helped launch or revive the television careers of numerous celebrities through its mix of ballroom and Latin dance.
