Strictly Come Dancing: Jeremy Vine first celebrity name announced
Jeremy Vine is the first Celebrity name confirmed for Strictly Come Dancing.
The 50-year-old news presenter confirmed the news on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show this morning where he revealed that his daughters encouraged him to accept the challenge.
Speaking on the radio show, he said: "They asked me and I just turned 50 this year and I've got to start dancing properly.
"Three weeks ago, I only told my daughters and my wife.
"I said to my daughters, who are 8 and 11, this could be exciting to see your dad or it could be more scary than Doctor Who.
"The eldest daughter said if you want to do it dad do it."
He also tweeted the news, writing: “I was looking forward to hearing @achrisevans announce the first person on #Strictly - and it's me.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">I was looking forward to hearing <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/achrisevans" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-2408791-https://twitter.com/achrisevans" data-vars-event-id="c23">@achrisevans</a> announce the first person on <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Strictly?src=hash" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-2408791-https://twitter.com/hashtag/Strictly?src=hash" data-vars-event-id="c23">#Strictly</a> - and it's me <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://t.co/gGVGWDyzF6" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-2408791-http://t.co/gGVGWDyzF6" data-vars-event-id="c23">pic.twitter.com/gGVGWDyzF6</a> — Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/theJeremyVine/status/630640543656247297" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-2408791-https://twitter.com/theJeremyVine/status/630640543656247297" data-vars-event-id="c23">August 10, 2015</a>
Vine - who has fronted Panorama and Points of View - is nervous about coming face-to-face with the judges.
"They are the scariest bunch of people I have ever seen assembled in one place, but I love the fact that their expertise shines through," he said.
The Eggheads presenter also revealed that this year's dancers have been given Disney names to ensure that no celebrity contestant is unveiled too early.
He said: "We've all been named after Disney characters and I'm Nemo."
Other names rumoured to be joining Vine this year include former X Factor presenter Dermot O'Leary and Coronation Street actress Georgia May Foote.
Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One for its 13th series in September.
