Dani Dyer has been officially confirmed as the second contestant for Strictly Come Dancing 2026, returning to the BBC dance show after last year’s injury
Strictly Come Dancing 2026 has revealed Dani Dyer is returning to the Strictly dance floor later this year (Image: BBC)
Strictly Come Dancing 2026 has confirmed that Dani Dyer will be making her long-awaited return to the dance floor later this year.
The exciting news was officially unveiled on Thursday, 11 June, via @bbcstrictly’s official social media channels. This marks the second Strictly 2026 contestant announcement, following the reveal of EastEnders legend Lacey Turner — who has portrayed Stacey Slater since 2004 — as the first confirmed celebrity on Wednesday.
Dani, 29, daughter of well-known actor Danny Dyer, was originally set to compete in Strictly 2025 but was forced to withdraw before the competition even got underway due to injury. She will now get her chance to battle it out for the coveted Glitterball Trophy later this year.
Reacting to the news, Dani said: “I am so excited to be back in the ballroom this September! I just cannot wait to get my dancing shoes back on and hopefully this time around I can actually make it to week one!”
EastEnders legend, Lacey Turner, was the first contestant announced (Image: BBC)
Dani added: “I’m just over the moon and cannot wait to find out who else is doing it!”
Last year, Dani suffered a foot injury that sadly ended her Strictly journey before it had even begun. Confirming her exit at the time, she explained: “I thought I had rolled my foot but it swelled up badly.
“After an MRI scan it turns out I have fractured my ankle. Apparently doing the quickstep on a fracture is not advisable.”
She added: “It was so hard because I was having the best time of my life. [After I quit] I couldn’t leave the house, because I knew if someone said to me, ‘Are you OK?’, I’d just cry. It’s been really testing my mental health.”
Earlier this year, the former Love Island contestant suggested a potential return. When asked about coming back this year, she stated: “It’s up to them.
“It’s a magical thing to do, so we’ll have to see when they start casting. But yeah absolutely – who could say no to Strictly?”.
During the 2025 series, Dani was partnered with professional dancer Nikita Kuzmin. Whether the pair will be matched together once more on the 2026 programme remains uncertain
