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Kelvin Fletcher

Goodbye Dales, hello dancing!

Fact titleFact data
Age
35
Profession
Actor
Partner

Meet Kelvin Fletcher

"The biggest thing for me about Strictly is the music. I'm a huge music fan."

Soap superstar Kelvin knows his way around a script, but can he shimmy his way around dancefloor?

"I want to be smooth, going around the dancefloor like John Travolta. But in reality that might not be the case!"

The Oldham-born actor's on-screen career began at the age of 12, when he was cast in Emmerdale as tearaway teen Andy Hopwood. Despite only being signed up for three episodes, he ended up starring in the soap for 20 years in over 1500 episodes, eventually taking on his fictional adoptive family surname Sugden.

Two decades of standout storylines earned him many nominations and wins at the British Soap Awards, including Best Actor, Best Dramatic Performance and Scene of the Year. In 2016 he departed Emmerdale to pursue new acting opportunities.

Off-screen, Kelvin is also a self-confessed petrol head, winning the 2012 Silverstone Classic Celebrity Challenge race and competing in the 2016 British Touring Car Championship.

Now he's facing a very different type of competition with Pro dancer Oti Mabuse, but does he think he can match her moves?

"I’ve got an idea of how I’d love to look. I want to be smooth, going around the dancefloor like John Travolta. But in reality that might not be the case!" he said. "I’ve just got to work really hard. But I also want to really enjoy it, I’m really looking forward to it."

We'll prepare those flares for you now Kelvin...