Strictly Come Dancing 2016: Daisy Lowe, Laura Whitmore and Danny Mac glam up for first official photos

The 15 contestants will be taking to the dance floor for the first time this Saturday
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Jennifer Ruby1 September 2016

This year’s Strictly Come Dancing contestants have glammed up for the first official photos before the series kicks off this weekend.

After dancing their way down the red carpet at the official launch earlier this week, the likes of Laura Whitmore, Ed Balls and Daisy Lowe have donned sparkles, feathers and lyrca in a new photo shoot.

Admitting that she’s desperate to get her hands on that Glitterball Trophy, model Lowe said:

“It wouldn’t be a competition if I didn’t want to win,” she said.

“I've got to try and accept that things might take time to learn and not to get too frustrated and not talk back to the judges when they critique me because I would have put my heart and soul into it and I really don't want my Camden roots to shame me.”

Whitmore, 31, seemed slightly less ambitious, insisting that she’s just happy to learn a new skill.

“Just learning a new skill will be great and I suppose maybe at the next Whitmore wedding I'll get on that jive floor with my aunties and I'll show them a thing or two.”

Former Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls, who performed a rather awkward twirl with Whitmore at the launch, added:

Daisy Lowe poses in the official snaps 
Jay Brooks/BBC

“Yvette is hugely envious, she's always wanted to be on Strictly, she's a great dancer so she said to me you've got to do it - so I'm doing it for Yvette.”

Hollywoaks star Danny Mac admitted that his main concern was not being able to memorize the moves during the live shows.

Discussing his ideal dance partner, he said: “Someone who can literally drag me round a dance floor and can communicate telepathically to let me know what I've got to do next because I will not remember - I've got the memory of a goldfish.”

Other stars competing this year include Birds of a Feather actress Lesley Joseph, Louise Redknapp and EastEnders’ Tameka Empson, Anastacia, Olympic gymnast Claudia Fragapane, Will Young and Greg Rutherford.

The launch show airs on BBC One on Saturday September 3.

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