Ready, Steady… Dance! Welcome Ainsley Harriott

It wouldn’t be a Strictly line-up without the added spice of a celebrity chef – and Ainsley is the perfect ingredient for series 13!

Best known for his twenty one series run of Ready Steady Cook, Ainsley spilled the beans live on BBC One’s The One Show, making him the second confirmed contestant this year alongside Jeremy Vine.

While his dancing experience may be limited to “dancing around the kitchen with Suzy Salt and Percy Pepper,” Ainsley can’t wait to swap the oven gloves for a pair of dancing shoes on Strictly: “I’m most looking forward to the discipline and I admire the dedication it takes to be a good dancer.”

And how does Ainsley feel about the judges? Well, he has worked with Len and Bruno in the past, but Craig might not get the star treatment: “I won’t be cooking any breakfast for Craig!”

The 58-year-old celebrity chef has a cupboard stocked full of television credits, including Good Morning with Anne and Nick, Can’t Cook, Won’t Cook, Ainsley’s Barbeque Bible, Ainsley’s Meals in Minutes and, most famously, Ready Steady Cook. It won’t be long before Ainsley is cooking up a storm on the Strictly dancefloor!

Ainsley trained at Westminster College of Catering, before becoming an apprentice at Verrey’s restaurant in London’s West End. Alongside his television career, Ainsley is a bestselling author, having sold more than two million books worldwide.

Born and bred in Wandsworth, South London, Ainsley is the son of Jamaican pianist Chester Harriott and nurse Peppy Strudwick, and has two grown-up children, Jimmy (24) and Maddie (21).

Let us know what you think of our second addition to the Strictly line-up and stay tuned to @bbcstrictly, facebook.com/bbcstrictly and here on our official News Blog for all the latest announcements.