Cricketer Graeme Swann spins into Strictly 2018

He may be more at home on the field than in a dance studio, but our fifth celeb of 2018 is ready to swing back into action after retiring from cricket in 2013.

For Graeme Swann, joining Strictly is all about challenging himself once again – albeit with dancing rather than cricket! “I spent my career enjoying the excitement of performing in front of crowds and cameras,” he said. “It’s a bizarre pressure that makes you sink or swim and I’ve missed it since having to retire from cricket.”

While his wife Sarah’s excited about his new adventure just so he’ll get out of the house of a weekend, Graeme is seeking a new challenge to complement his huge success as an England champion.

Hailed as one of the country’s greatest spinners, he has many accolades to his name, from playing a key role in the 2009 Ashes victory to being crowned ECB Cricketer of the Year one year later. However, when an elbow injury affected his performance in the 2013 Ashes series, Graeme retired from the sport and took his expertise to punditry and cricket coverage instead.

Five years on, he’s now swapping his cricket whites for sequins, sparkles and spray tanning – and we can’t wait to see the result!

Graeme joins Katie Piper, Faye Tozer, Danny John-Jules, Joe Sugg and Vick Hope in this year’s line-up, with more celebrities to be revealed very soon! Be sure to keep up with the latest announcements on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.