Gladiators star Jodie Ounsley – otherwise known as Fury – is the third celebrity to sign up to Strictly Come Dancing’s Christmas special.
The BBC athlete, 24, will be one of six stars to take to the dance floor to battle it out for the famous glitterball trophy on the hit competition on Christmas Day.
Profoundly deaf from infancy, Jodie received a cochlear implant as a child, becoming one of the youngest people in the UK to undergo the procedure.
And on Monday during Strictly: It Takes Two it was announced that she will be hitting the dance floor with professional partner Neil Jones on the BBC show.
Jodie, who is a former rugby union player and jiu jitsu champion, gushed she ‘can’t wait to get stuck in’ to learning her routine.
She said: ‘I’m absolutely buzzing to be doing the Strictly Christmas Special. Being the first female rugby player means a lot to me too.
Gladiators star Jodie Ounsley – otherwise known as Fury – is the third celebrity to sign up to Strictly Come Dancing’s Christmas special
The BBC athlete, 24, will be one of six stars to battle it out for the famous glitterball on the competition on Christmas Day; pictured Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman
‘I honestly can’t wait to get stuck in, I’m used to smashing into people so this is definitely going to be a challenge!’
Hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman will oversee the festivities for their final time before quitting the show after 21 years.
While head judge Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, and Anton Du Beke will be taking to the judging panel but it is the voting studio audience who will decide who wins the Christmas special.
Jodie joins the previously announced Scarlett Moffatt and Melanie Blatt in Strictly’s festive line-up.
Scarlett will be paired with professional dancer Vito Coppola when she enters the Strictly Christmas ballroom this December.
The presenter and TV personality first rose to fame alongside her family on Gogglebox before going on to win I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in 2016.
But she is no stranger to dancing, having already competed in the Strictly ballroom in Blackpool as she was a semi-professional dancer as a child and previously shared a sweet clip of her doing a Tango routine aged ten.
Of her upcoming festive Strictly stint, Scarlett said: ‘Strictly has always held a special place in my heart, so being part of the Christmas Special feels truly magical.
Profoundly deaf from infancy, Jodie, who received a cochlear implant as a child, gushed she ‘can’t wait to get stuck in’ to learning her routine
She said: ‘I’m absolutely buzzing to be doing the Strictly Christmas Special. Being the first female rugby player means a lot to me too. I honestly can’t wait to get stuck in’
During Strictly: It Takes Two it was announced that Jodie will be hitting the dance floor with professional partner Neil Jones (pictured)
‘It’s the show that brings everyone together around the TV, and being part of that is a genuine personal and career highlight.
‘I’m sure it’ll also introduce me to a few muscles I didn’t know I had. I can’t wait to live my best life on that dancefloor.’
Meanwhile singer Melanie, 50 – who shot to fame in the 90s as part of All Saints – is set to star in the Christmas special.
Melanie will be dancing alongside Kai Widdrington, 30, who was paired with reality star Vicky Pattison, 38, in this year’s competition.
Speaking ahead of the show, Melaine said: ‘If you can’t have a dance at Christmas, when can you?!
‘I’m so excited to meet Kai and start training to make this a dance to remember.’
The remaining three celebrities taking part in the 2025 Strictly Christmas special will be announced across this week on Strictly: It Takes Two at 6:30pm on BBC Two.
Filming will take place on December 9 and will be on our screens on December 25.
During this years main Strictly Come Dancing, Jodie’s Gladiator’s co-star Nitro – Harry Aikines-Aryeetey – was partnered up with professional dancer Karen Hauer.
Unfortunately, Harry was eliminated from the competition in week 7 after losing the dance-off to La Voix and Aljaž Skorjanec.
Meanwhile Scarlett Moffatt will be paired with professional dancer Vito Coppola when she enters the Strictly Christmas ballroom this December
Singer Melanie, 50 – who shot to fame in the 90s as part of All Saints – is also set to star in the Christmas special
Following his exit, he said: ‘Just thank you everyone. The magic of Strictly is something you only see on telly but to actually truly live it, breathe it.
‘It’s the people, it’s yourself, it’s Karen, it’s everyone behind these cameras, it’s the make-up, the wardrobe, the runners, everyone in this building.
‘You see something on TV for a couple of hours and it’s the people behind it that keep you uplifted, that keep you smiling, that make you wanna be that great individual.’
He added: ‘Shout out to our runner Rebecca, she’s been like a little sister, taking care of us. Everyone makes it so special so I just want to say thank you to you all.’
But he first showed his potential as a competitor on the festive show in 2024 with partner Nancy Xu.
Former Olympian Montell Douglas – better known as Gladiators’ Fire – also took part in the main series last year and made it through to week ten with Johannes Radebe.
The Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer this Christmas.
