In a sure sign that cold, cosy nights are coming far sooner than we would like, the Strictly Come Dancing engine has revved up once again and we now know the 15 celebrities who'll be stepping on the dance floor in the coming months. Each year [1], the contestants' names are slowly revealed on BBC radio, social media, and TV, and things kicked off in true Strictly style, with an exciting Monday morning wake-up call, followed by a number of exciting evening reveals over the following weeks. The first famous face confirmed to step into the ballroom was much-loved TV star who will no doubt have the public voting in their droves. She was soon joined by a cool cat, a pop starlet, a radio DJ, and a YouTube sensation, to name but a few. Keep reading to find out more about this year's line-up, and stay tuned to see which professional dancers will partner up with which star, including three new faces: Graziano Di Prima, Johannes Radebe, and Luba Mushtuk.
Katie Piper
TV personality and philanthropist Katie Piper was the first contestant to be announced. Katie, a former model, was the victim of an acid attack in 2008, which was later documented in the Channel 4 show Katie: My Beautiful Face. She has worked hard to increase awareness about burn victims, and is the founder of her own charitable foundation, the Katie Piper Foundation.
Danny John-Jules
Dapper actor Danny is best known for playing Cat in Red Dwarf. To younger audiences, he might be recognised for his roles in CBBC shows like Kerching! and M.I. High. Most recently, he'd been solving crime on the fictional Caribbean island of Saint Marie as Dwayne Myers in the BBC's detective show Death in Paradise. Danny announced his departure from the show at the end of series seven, and now we know why!
Faye Tozer
Steps singer Faye is the latest pop star to step into the ballroom, and though people are already questioning her "amateur" status given how much she has danced during her career, rest assured the choreography she learned for hits like "5,6,7,8" and "Tragedy" is a long way away from the paso doble and foxtrot. As well as her time in Steps, Faye has worked quite extensively on the stage, in pantomime and musicals like Me and My Girl and Over The Rainbow.
Joe Sugg
YouTube personality Joe was the fourth contestant to be announced. The 26-year-old has over eight million subscribers and is the younger brother of fellow YouTube superstar Zoe "Zoella" Sugg. He said on Twitter [3], "I can't dance but hopefully I'll do you all proud and you can make some great memes out of me."
Vick Hope
Presenter and DJ Vick is best known for her job presenting the Breakfast Show on Capital FM with Roman Kemp, but you might also recognise her from 4 Music's Trending Live. Announcing her participation live on air, Vick couldn't hide her excitement, and joked, "my mum knows this show!"
Graeme Swann
The fifth contestant to be announced, cricketer Graeme follows in a long line of sportsmen who've stepped into the ballroom. He's a former ECB Cricketer of the Year who's been a pundit since his retirement in 2013.
Dr Ranj Singh
The first actual doctor to join Strictly (there've been plenty of actors who've played them) Dr Ranj will be familiar to viewers of This Morning, where he appears regularly as one of the show's experts. As well as his medical career and TV appearances, he's also somehow found time to write two children's books.
Stacey Dooley
Stacey got her start when she appeared on the documentary Blood, Sweat and T-Shirts, which led to a career as a documentary maker. She is well known to BBC Three audiences for her Stacey Dooley Investigates series, which has seen her tackling difficult topics like sex trafficking and child soldiers. She was awarded and MBE in the 2018 Queen's birthday honours.
Ashley Roberts
Ashley, a former member of The Pussycat Dolls, is definitely no stranger to the dance floor, but over the last few years she's swapped music for TV, with appearances on I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here and The Jump as well as a co-hosting gig on Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway. She also knows what a tough job the Strictly judges have, as she spent two series on the panel of Dancing On Ice.
Seann Walsh
Seann will be a familiar face to anyone who watches comedy panel shows or TV stand-up. He's appeared on everything from Mock the Week to Celebrity Juice. "It's official . . . I'm a dancer now" he joked on Twitter, before spending the weekend sharing the musical DVDs he was watching in preparation.
Kate Silverton
Journalist and BBC newsreader Kate was announced as contestant number 11. She said on Twitter [4], ""It's something of a departure for a news journalist, shifting focus from the headlines to my hemlines and I suspect the only serious element of my life over the coming months will be in training hard and figuring out the foxtrot."
Lee Ryan
Lee will be following in the footsteps of his Blue band mate Simon Webbe as he joins the cast for Strictly 2018. The singer and Eastenders actor is also a former Celebrity Big Brother contestant, so he's no stranger to reality TV.
Lauren Steadman
Paralympic athlete Lauren has competed in three Summer Paralympics, swimming and taking part in the paratriathlon, so she should have absolutely no problem with the competitive aspect of Strictly. She said on twitter that she "couldn't be more excited to be a contestant."
Charles Venn
Charles is best known for his role as Jacob Masters in Casualty, but he's also starred in Footballer's Wives Eastenders, and Dream Team. He's already been posting photos of himself with fellow competitor Danny John Jules [5]. Could a new Strictly bromance be on the cards?
Susannah Constantine
The final contestant to be announced was Susannah, who, along with Trinny Woodall, was responsible for putting you (or your mum) in chunky belts, big knickers, and wrap dresses throughout the 2000s, courtesy of the hit show What Not to Wear. Susannah is another celeb who has a series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here under her belt. Will she fare better in the ballroom than she did in the jungle, where she was first to be eliminated?