Strictly Come Dancing 2025: Former England rugby star Chris Robshaw named as eighth celebrity contestant

The former England captain was announced as one of the newest star to be joining the upcoming series on Scott Mills BBC Radio 2 breakfast show. The former sports star was revealed alongside Drag Race UK star La Voix on the radio show.

Chris, 39, is best known for captaining the England national team a total of 43 times, picking up a total of 66 caps for his country. He led the team to a Grand Slam victory during the 2016 Six Nations tournament.

The rugby star played for his childhood club Harlequins RFC, joining the side straight from school in 2005 and eventually captaining the team. He played 300 matches for the Harlequins and led the team throughout its most successful era and became the only player to win the Aviva Premiership player of the Year Award twice. He left his childhood team in 2020, with a brief spell at San Diego Legion before calling time on his playing career.

On joining the show, Chris said: “This is about as far out of my comfort zone as it gets! I’m hoping to take my dad dancing to a whole new level, and my mum can’t wait to drag me along to her Zumba class. Let’s see if a rugby sidestep works in the Cha Cha Cha.”

Chris joins stars such as EastEnders actress Balvinder Sopal, former Love Island winner Dani Dyer, and Gladiators star Harry Aikines-Aryeetey (AKA Nitro) among the celebrities taking part in this year’s Strictly series.

The BBC is yet to announce a launch date for the new series, however it is expected to begin this autumn.