Kelly Holmes became a household name after her Olympic success

They are among more than 1,000 new names in the reference book which lists the rich and famous and now contains more than 32,000 biographies.

To appear in the book a person must be of "distinction and influence".

Olympic champion rower James Cracknell, novelist Andrea Levy and former child star Aled Jones are also new entrants.

People in Who's Who are prominent figures from a range of fields, including aristocracy, politics, business, sport and showbusiness.

And an entrant remains in the book until their death, after which they are moved to Who Was Who.

Dame Kelly sprang to fame at the Athens Olympics where she won gold medals in the 1,500m and 800m.

Critical acclaim

The 35-year-old retired from athletics at the end of last year after making her final track appearance in August.

Kathy Burke, 41, is best known for her portrayal of chain-smoking slob, Waynetta, who appeared alongside Harry Enfield in his TV comedy series.

However, the actress-turned-director has also received critical acclaim for her performance as Valerie in the hard-hitting Bafta-nominated film Nil By Mouth.

And Skinner, 48, has been recognised for his success as an entertainer with his own chat show, a number one single - England football song Three Lions - and several stand-up comedy tours to his name.

Novelist Andrea Levy found success with her book Small Island, which won the Orange Prize for Fiction and the Whitbread Book of the Year in 2004 and the 39-year-old claimed the Commonwealth Writer's Prize in 2005.

Child star Aled Jones is among the singers featured in the book.