Mollie King is the first celebrity contestant confirmed for the brand new series of Strictly Come Dancing. The 15th series of the BAFTA award-winning entertainment show produced by BBC Studios will return in the autumn on BBC One putting the sparkle back into Saturday and Sunday nights.

Mollie says: “I'm a huge fan of Strictly Come Dancing so I can't actually believe I'm lucky enough to be taking part in it this year! I'm literally so excited to learn latin and ballroom dancing, and of course I can’t wait to get into the sequins too! It’s going to be a lot of hard work but I'm ready for the challenge.”

Mollie is best known as one-fifth of leading girl group, The Saturdays. The multi-platinum selling band has sold over five million singles worldwide, scored 13 Top 10 singles and five Top 10 albums. The band also embarked on four nationwide headline tours and starred in three primetime TV series, including Chasing The Saturdays for E! which aired in over 40 territories. Beyond the group, Mollie has established herself as a mainstay of the fashion press and a fixture on London’s style scene and is an ambassador for some of the UK’s biggest fashion and make-up brands.

The news was revealed this morning (Monday 7 August) on BBC Radio 1’s Breakfast Show with Nick Grimshaw.

More celebrity contestants joining the new series will be announced in due course.