Dani Dyer and Vicky Pattison have joined Strictly Come Dancing for the 2025 season, and they’re adamant they won’t fall victim to the so-called Strictly curse. The pair spoke ahead of the launch, stressing that their husbands are too gorgeous to derail their ballroom ambitions and that live television, not the dance floor, is the bigger fear.
Pattison described the moment she first encountered the Strictly pro ranks as overwhelming and almost surreal. “You’re with the tiny professional female dancers carved by angels—and you’re standing there like a little pudding in your gym kit,” she said, recalling the shock of that first big day. Dyer acknowledged a similar anxiety, explaining that the live element—the inability to redo a performance—terrified her more than the dancing itself. “Live telly petrifies me. I’ve said no to so many things because I’m panicked at the thought of being live,” she said.
The two have formed a strong bond since signing on for Strictly 2025, often sharing nerves and a touch of gossip in group chats. They also both briefly flirt with the idea that fate nudged them toward the show. Pattison has long believed in manifestation, citing a vision board that once included a picture of Gemma Atkinson in sequins with Pattison’s head on top. Dani, meanwhile, credits her mother-in-law with helping steer the path toward Strictly, describing a ritual of manifestation cards and crystals that, she says, coincided with a shift in her career and life. “She’s a diehard Strictly fan, and last year when she was watching it she said, ‘I think that’ll be you next year,’” Dani said. “She got me manifestation cards and crystals, and I feel like ever since I’ve started down that road things have changed.”
The women’s remarks come as the show’s cast was announced, including a mix of athletes, actors, presenters and performers. In addition to Pattison and Dyer, this year’s lineup features sprinter Harry Aikines-Aryeetey (Gladiator Nitro), actors Alex Kingston, Stefan Dennis, Lewis Cope and Balvinder Sopal, former footballers Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Karen Carney, drag artist La Voix, former rugby player Chris Robshaw, model Ellie Goldstein, and TV personalities Thomas Skinner and Ross King. Pattison and Dyer said they share a background in reality television—Pattison from Geordie Shore and Dyer from Love Island—but both recognize the unique pressures of live competition.
Pattison has been open about the personal challenges she has faced, including a diagnosis of PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder) that she describes as a life-altering condition. She has become an advocate for addressing medical bias she says women experience and recently pressed Health Secretary Wes Streeting for a meeting to discuss the issue. “It’s devastating at times. At its worst you totally lose yourself. I’m an outgoing, confident person, and that gets replaced with despair,” she said, adding that she’s continuing to seek treatment while preparing for Strictly. She has frozen eggs with her husband, Ercan Ramadan, as part of planning for the future, noting that they agreed to pursue parenthood when the time was right but not the pressure of it right now.
Dyer, who rose to fame on Love Island, has long leaned into her family’s public profile. Her father, Danny Dyer, is a well-known actor, and she speaks warmly of him and her late-blooming sense of independence as a performer. She is married to Jarrod Bowen, the West Ham captain, and the couple welcomed a baby into their family earlier this year. Dyer also has two-year-old twins, Summer and Star, with Jarrod, and previously parented Santiago with her stockbroker ex, Sammy Kimmence. Dyer recalled a charming origin story about meeting Jarrod: a neighbor who delivered parcels and helped with the meter-reading became the man she would marry, a twist she says she didn’t anticipate but now cherishes. “He’s just a lovely guy, so chilled and easy,” she said.
Dyer’s parents, including her father, have said they’ll be in the audience for the Strictly launch, underscoring the show’s blend of family support and public spectacle. Dani’s connection to her father also features in her earliest memories of supporting him through performances and milestones; she says the family remains close and supportive as she steps onto a different kind of stage.
As the season approaches, Pattison and Dyer say they’re embracing the nerves and the novelty of competing in front of a live audience. Dani is candid about her fear of the crowds, describing the moment she will walk onto the dance floor as “the moment of walking into a room and not knowing why you’re there, except it’s in front of millions. I’ve just got to hope everything I’ve learned kicks in.” Pattison, who has battled public scrutiny and personal health challenges, frames the journey as a chance to grow and to celebrate the work she has put in with her partner, alongside the broader experience of the Strictly operation.
Strictly Come Dancing returns Saturday night at 6:40 p.m. on BBC One and iPlayer.