JJ Chalmers is the eighth celebrity contestant confirmed for the brand new series of Strictly Come Dancing.
The 18th series of the NTA and 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.

JJ Chalmers is a television presenter, former Royal Marine and Invictus Games medallist.

JJ Chalmers says: “My whole life is defined by facing challenges. Whether it's becoming a Royal Marine Commando, recovering from my injuries sustained in Afghanistan to competing in The Invictus Games. Now as a TV presenter I'm lucky enough to witness some of the greatest sporting contests in the world. Strictly is a whole different ball game in respect to the challenges I will face but I'm up for an adventure and at least my mum will know where I am!”

JJ Chalmers is a TV presenter with a remarkable back story. The career of the former Royal Marine Commando was cut short after he suffered life-changing injuries following an IED explosion in Afghanistan. After years of rehabilitation, JJ went on to compete in the 2014 Invictus Games where he captained the Trike Cycling team and took home three medals. As a spokesperson for this inaugural Invictus Games JJ got an insight into TV and embarked on a career in broadcasting. He hit the ground running in 2016 with a studio presenter role for the Rio Paralympics and has anchored BBC One’s coverage of the Invictus Games since 2017. Other presenting highlights for BBC Sport include The Commonwealth Games and The London Marathon. As part of the BBC's ceremonial team JJ commentates on The Lord Mayor's Show and was involved in the D-Day memorial programming. Other BBC credits include The One Show, BBC Breakfast, Getaways, The People Remember and Radio 5 Live’s From Helmand And Back. JJ is an ambassador for both Help For Heroes and The Invictus Games.

The news was revealed this morning on ITV’s Lorraine.

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