YouTube star John Nellis joins line-up for Strictly Come Dancing 2026
YouTube star and football content creator John Nellis is looking forward to showing off his dance moves on Strictly Come Dancing from September.
YouTube star John Nellis has joined the line-up for Strictly Come Dancing 2026.
The football content creator - whose videos have amassed billions of views and starred football legends including Lionel Messi, 39, Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, and 26-year-old Erling Haaland - will throw himself "into every moment" on the BBC Latin and Ballroom dance show from September.
John, 33, said: "I'm still in disbelief that I've been selected for Strictly and, if I'm honest, I'm a little nervous as I've never danced before!
"It's such an incredible opportunity, and I'm going to throw myself into every moment. I can't wait to meet everyone, learn a new skill and, hopefully, be much better at family parties by the end of it!"
John, originally from Newcastle in County Down, Northern Ireland, quit his job as an air traffic controller to pursue content creation full-time.
Since then, he has become one of the UK’s biggest sports content creators, with a combined audience of more than 20 million followers across social media.
Celebrities with big social media followings have been a priority for Strictly Come Dancing bosses.
Some viewers have complained about the lack of big names ahead of the new series, but an insider has now revealed that it is a deliberate policy from the BBC.
A source told The Sun newspaper: "Although your traditional Strictly audience might not know who some of the signings are, that’s not as important as bringing in new viewers who are more than familiar with them.
"Their followers are vast in numbers, enthusiastic and, by sharing content on Strictly, raise the profile of the show massively.
"And, in time, the viewers who don’t know these people get to know them. If anything, they end up going on much more of a 'Strictly Journey' than the stars you’d describe as 'household names.'"
So far, John joins EastEnders icon Lacey Turner, 38, Neighbours star Delta Goodrem, 41, Love Island alums Cach Mercer, 25, and 29-year-old Dani Dyer - who withdrew from the 2025 series due to an ankle injury - and 43-year-old celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton in competing for the coveted Glitterball Trophy.
Big Brother host Will Best, 41, Paralympian Dame Sarah Storey, 48, Babs actress Jaime Winstone, 41, House of the Dragon's Bethany Antonia, 28, football player-turned-pundit Shaun Wright-Phillips, dog trainer Graeme Hall, 60, Emmerdale actor Lawrence Robb, 34, and Olympic skeleton gold medallist Tabby Stoecker, 25, are also taking part.
But the source explained that the BBC - who will announce more contestants in due course - struggles to attract big-name celebrities these days because the landscape has changed.
The insider continued: "Crucially, the pipeline that used to feed these big shows has changed.
"Boyband and girlband stars aren’t as prevalent anymore and, once upon a time, getting someone from a soap or a big drama was a massive deal, but now even that has diminished somewhat.
"There are so many TV shows across various channels and streamers, and even the big shows don’t get the same viewing figures that they might have when Strictly started.
"Now, though, social media is continuing to boom, and big stars from the world of TikTok, YouTube and Instagram are known to a vast section of society."
Strictly Come Dancing bosses are aware of the sea-change taking place, and they do not want the long-running show to be left behind.
The source added: "There’s a sea-change taking place and Strictly doesn’t want to go against the tide. It can’t afford to."
Strictly Come Dancing has received a huge shake-up for the 2026 series.
Five new professional dancers have joined Strictly Come Dancing for the 2026 series, after Karen Hauer, 44, Gorka Marquez, 35, Nadiya Bychkova and Luba Mushtuk, both 36, and Michelle Tsiakkas, 30, were axed.
Joining the line-up are British dancer Maddie Ingoldsby - who performed in a special one-off routine on the show with the programme's troupe 10 years ago at the age of just 11 - Ukrainian Aleksandra Isaeva and her dance partner, four-time Italian Latin Champion Cristian Priori, undefeated South African Latin champion Lethabo Monametsi, and Canada's Mark Karmalita.
Emma Willis, 50, Josh Widdicombe, 43, and 39-year-old Johannes Radebe - who has been a professional dancer on the programme since 2018 - debut as new co-hosts following the exit of Tess Daly, 57, and Claudia Winkleman, 54, at the end of the 2025 series.
And Strictly Come Dancing's weekday companion show, It Takes Two, has been turned into a videocast, similar to that of The Traitors: Uncloaked.
Fleur East, 38, was dropped and co-host Janette Manrara, 42, decided not to return to It Takes Two.
The Sun on Sunday newspaper recently reported that Fleur and Janette have been replaced by 42-year-old comedienne Ellie Taylor, who came seventh when she competed in the 2022 series of Strictly Come Dancing with Johannes.
