The Facts

Dame Sarah Storey, widely recognized as Great Britain’s most accomplished Paralympian, has been announced as a participant in the upcoming series of the popular BBC One television program Strictly Come Dancing. The BBC reported that the cyclist and swimmer is the seventh celebrity confirmed for the 2025 season of the dancing competition.

Storey’s athletic resume is extensive. According to the BBC, she has secured 19 gold medals across nine Paralympic Games, bringing her total Paralympic medal count to 30. Her career began in swimming before she transitioned to cycling, a shift that has contributed to her historic standing in British sports history. Notably, she won four gold medals at the London 2012 Games.

In a statement provided to the BBC, Storey expressed her enthusiasm for the new challenge. She described the opportunity as “hugely exciting” and stated that she “can’t wait to get started.” Her motivation for joining the cast is partly personal; she mentioned that her daughter, Louisa, is a talented dancer, and Storey hopes to learn from the professionals on the show to better understand her daughter’s world.

Storey joins a diverse group of celebrities for the new season. The BBC’s reporting confirms that the line-up includes Will Best, the host of Big Brother on ITV and a presenter on the Hits Radio Breakfast Show. Best commented that joining the show was an “absolute dream,” albeit a terrifying one, noting that while he has done live television before, nothing compares to the Strictly dance floor.

Also competing is Cach Mercer, the winner of the 2025 season of the reality dating show Love Island. Mercer, who also works as a model and DJ, described dancing as a “huge passion” and expressed excitement about learning ballroom styles like the foxtrot. The celebrity hair stylist Chris Appleton, known for his work with high-profile clients such as Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez, and Ariana Grande, is also in the cast. Appleton, who recently released a memoir, stated that while he knows his way around a salon, the dance floor is a different story.

Rounding out the names announced so far are Australian singer and actress Delta Goodrem, known for her music career and television roles, and Lacey Turner, an actress from the long-running BBC soap EastEnders. The list also includes Dani Dyer, a television and social media personality. The program is set to return to screens in September.

Context and Background: The Evolution of the Contestant

The inclusion of Dame Sarah Storey in the Strictly Come Dancing line-up fits within a broader trend of the show diversifying the types of celebrities it recruits. While the cast has traditionally relied heavily on pop stars, soap actors, and reality television personalities, the producers have increasingly sought contestants with high-level achievement in fields outside of entertainment, particularly sports. Storey’s participation is distinct not just because of her sporting pedigree, but because she brings a record of Paralympic dominance that is unparalleled in British history.

Storey’s career trajectory is notable for its longevity and adaptability. Beginning as a swimmer, she competed in five Paralympic Games in the pool before switching to cycling. This ability to master two distinct elite disciplines suggests a high degree of physical intelligence and adaptability—traits that are often beneficial on the dance floor. While swimming and cycling are rhythmic, they differ significantly from the partner-based, aesthetic-focused nature of ballroom and Latin dance. However, her experience performing under immense pressure at global sporting events provides a psychological foundation that many other contestants lack.

It is also worth noting the demographic shift in the casting. With contestants like Will Best and Cach Mercer, the show maintains a strong connection to the reality TV genre that drives much of its social media engagement. However, adding a figure of Storey’s stature introduces a different narrative layer: one of discipline and historical significance. Unlike a reality TV star whose fame might be seasonal or fleeting, Storey’s status is cemented by decades of performance. This creates a dynamic where viewers are not just watching a celebrity learn to dance, but are witnessing a national icon step entirely out of her established comfort zone.

Why It Matters: Representation and Visibility

The decision to cast Dame Sarah Storey carries implications beyond entertainment value. For the Paralympic movement, having its most decorated athlete on one of the UK’s most-watched television programs provides a form of visibility that medal tables alone cannot achieve. While the Paralympic Games have grown in popularity, they still often receive less mainstream media coverage than their Olympic counterparts or prime-time entertainment shows. Placing a Paralympian at the center of a light-entertainment narrative normalizes disability presence on mainstream television.

Furthermore, the show serves as a litmus test for public attitudes toward disability. Strictly Come Dancing has previously included contestants with disabilities, such as Rose Ayling-Ellis, who won the competition in 2021. Ayling-Ellis’s participation was widely praised for increasing awareness of the deaf community. Storey’s presence is different; her disability is not necessarily visually apparent to all viewers in the same way, nor is it the central focus of her public persona to the same extent. Her inclusion reinforces the idea that disability does not preclude someone from participating in the glamour and spectacle of a dance competition, challenging stereotypes about who belongs on the dance floor.

For the show itself, this casting choice is a strategic move to maintain relevance. By securing a “national treasure” figure, the BBC ensures that the show appeals to demographics that might not be interested in the latest reality TV stars. It bridges the gap between sports fans and entertainment viewers. The mention of Storey’s daughter in her statement also humanizes the athlete, potentially drawing in family audiences who can relate to the parent-child dynamic of wanting to understand a child’s passion.

Analysis: What to Watch For

As the series progresses, several factors will determine how successful Storey’s stint on the show will be perceived. First and foremost is the physical translation. Sports science often differentiates between gross motor skills, used in sports like cycling, and the fine motor skills required for dance. Storey’s dominance came from power and endurance, whereas Strictly rewards fluidity, precision, and performance. Analysts and viewers will be watching to see if her elite athleticism translates into an aptitude for dance, or if the specific demands of the ballroom present a steeper learning curve than she anticipates.

Another area of interest is the choreography and how the production utilizes her background. Will the routines acknowledge her sporting history, or will they attempt to present her entirely as a dancer? In past seasons, producers have often leaned into the contestant’s “day job” for themed weeks. A cycling-themed routine, for example, would be an obvious choice, but the more compelling test will be how she handles styles that have no analogue in her athletic career, such as the rumba or the Argentine tango.

Finally, the interaction between Storey and her professional dance partner will be crucial. In sports like swimming and cycling, the athlete is largely in control of their own performance. In ballroom dancing, the partnership is paramount. How this elite individual athlete adapts to relying on and trusting a partner for timing and movement will be a key narrative arc. If she succeeds, it will further cement the show’s reputation for transforming public perceptions of its contestants. If she struggles, it will highlight the vast difference between athletic training and performing arts—a distinction that is often lost on audiences who assume all physical skills are interchangeable.

How the independent reporting supports this article

• BBC source record: Open BBC’s retained report to compare this independent source directly with the other coverage used for the article. Source 1
• The Guardian source record: Open The Guardian’s retained report to compare this independent source directly with the other coverage used for the article. Source 1
• Independent-source cross-check: The article uses separate reports from BBC and The Guardian; these links let readers compare the two retained accounts directly. Source 1, Source 2