Strictly Come Dancing: First celebrity confirmed for 2025 series as Gladiators star Harry Aikines-Aryeetey AKA Nitro joins line-up
A star of the hit series Gladiators has been revealed as the first celebrity face joining Strictly Come Dancing 2025.
Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, who is better known as Nitro on the rebooted competition show, will be one of the celebrities taking part in this year’s series of Strictly Come Dancing. The announcement was made on Newsround this morning (August 11), when the Gladiators: Epic Pranks star attempted to go undercover as ‘choreographer’ Nicky Trott, before being recognised by presenter Jenny Lawrence and reveal his real plans.
Harry, 36, previously took part in the 2024 Christmas Special of Strictly, in which he danced with pro-partner Nancy Xu. The Olympic athlete-turned-TV star said: “After the Christmas Special, it was so nice I just had to do it twice!
“I’m so excited to be part of the Strictly family this series and I’m ready to give it all I’ve got. I’ll be bringing tons of energy to light up the dance floor. Let’s hope I’m as quick picking up the routines as I am on the track.”
Harry has appeared on Gladiators since the show’s return in 2023 and quickly became a fan-favourite with viewers. In addition to taking on contenders, he also competed in short-distance running events at the European Championships, Commonwealth Games and two Olympic Games. He was awarded the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year in 2005 and also became the first athlete to win gold medals at 100 and 200 meters at the World Youth Championships.
The star is the first celebrity to be confirmed for this season of Strictly Come Dancing. The next celebrity will be unveiled live on The One Show on Monday, August 11 from 7pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Strictly Come Dancing is set to return this autumn, however a specific launch date has not yet been confirmed. There have been rumours for months over the celebrities who could be joining the show, with names such as Dani Dyer, Stefan Dennis and Sir Mo Farah cropping up.
Professional dancer Gorka Marquez has confirmed that he will not be partnered with a celebrity for the first time since 2019 after confirmed that he would be returning to the Spanish version of the show as a judge for a period of time. Two new professional dancers have also been added to the cast, with US dance star Alexis Warr and Aussie dancer Julian Caillon set to make their debut on the show.