Strictly Come Dancing has just dropped another huge reveal — and the TWELFTH celebrity heading to the ballroom for 2026 is finally confirmed
Strictly Come Dancing confirms TWELFTH celebrity joining the BBC ballroom for 2026 – a soap star
An Emmerdale star is entering the ballroom…
Hot off the heels of yesterday’s celebrity announcement, Strictly Come Dancing has now revealed the 12th star that will be appearing in the 2026 series – and it is Emmerdale’s Lawrence Robb.
“I don’t know who’s more excited about this, me or my Mother,” quipped the actor, who plays Mackenzie Boyd on the ITV soap. “I can’t quite believe that I am going to be getting my dancing shoes on this September on one of my favourite shows of all time!”
“It’s a dream come true, and I can’t wait to bring my all to the ballroom. Wish me luck, and any advice is very welcome – trust me I’ll need it!” added the star, who has also appeared in I Hate Suzie.
The news was announced via the social media channels for the BBC series, with the caption reading: “Ewe’ll never guess who’s heading for the #Strictly baa-llroom. Let’s see your moo-ves, from Emmerdale, it’s @lawrencejarobb!”
The announcement was welcomed by several famous faces in the comment section on Instagram, with Strictly judge Motsi Mabuse being the first to welcome the actor to the popular series.
Bradley Riches, who portrays Lewis Barton on the soap, called Robb a “DIVAAAAA” for taking part, while Matty Barton actor Ash Palmisciano said that his co-star would “be amazing” on the dancefloor.
Robb, who debuted on Emmerdale in 2020, is the second celebrity to be unveiled for the 2026 edition of Strictly this week, with Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly star Graeme Hall being confirmed on Wednesday (5 August).
The dog trainer, known as The Dogfather, said: “I have always loved dancing, so to have the opportunity to learn from the best in the business is a dream come true. I have watched the show for years, so to be a part of it feels like a very exciting challenge.”
They join the previously-announced Lacey Turner, Dani Dyer, Delta Goodrem, Chris Appleton, Cach Mercer, Will Best, Sarah Storey, Jaime Winstone, Bethany Antonia and Shaun Wright-Phillips.
The previous edition of Strictly saw 15 celebrities take part, though it’s currently unclear if the upcoming season will follow the same format. The series is expected to return next month, though a premiere date is yet to be confirmed.
The judging line-up of Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke will remain unchanged, though there is a new presenting team – Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe – following the departures of Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.
Strictly Come Dancing is expected to return to BBC One and BBC iPlayer in September.
