Chizzy Akudolu is the twelfth 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. 

Chizzy says: “When I was 13, I made the finals of a disco dancing competition once but there was this amazing girl who exploded onto the stage with a gorgeous sequined costume, throwing glitter everywhere… I knew it was game over for me. That was then, this is now and this is my chance to have even more sequins!”

Andrea Chizoba ‘Chizzy’ Akudolu is an actress, best-known for playing heart surgeon Mo Effanga, in BBC One’s Holby City. Chizzy joined the cast in 2012 and hung up her stethoscope in June after five years. During her time on the show, Chizzy won the award for Best Newcomer at the Black International Film Festival and Music Video and Screen Awards as well as Best Actress in the same year at the BEFFTA Awards. She was also nominated for Best Newcomer at the National Television Awards. Chizzy’s background is in comedy acting and she is also a writer and producer; her other TV appearances include The Inbetweeners, EastEnders, Silent Witness, Hollyoaks and Twenty Twelve. Earlier this year, Chizzy took part in BBC One’s Let’s Sing And Dance For Comic Relief with a duo from Casualty. The trio performed Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars and were runners up.

The news was revealed today (Monday 21 August) on the official Strictly Come Dancing Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Chizzy Akudolu joins Charlotte Hawkins, Brian Conley, Susan Calman, Aston Merrygold, Simon Rimmer, Joe McFadden, Reverend Richard Coles, Gemma Atkinson, Ruth Langsford, Davood Ghadami and Mollie King who have also been confirmed for the new series. More celebrity contestants will be announced later today.