Ashley Taylor Dawson

Actor Ashley Taylor Dawson follows in the footsteps of Ali Bastian and Ricky Whittle in making the leap from Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks, to the set of Strictly Come Dancing.

Ashley is one of the longest serving cast members on show, playing Darren Osborne since 1999. His character has endured several major storylines, including gambling addiction, helping his dad to fake his own death, a shotgun marriage, and more affairs than you can shake a stick at. So in comparison life on Strictly will seem like a Waltz in the park.

Performing in front of a live audience should prove no problem for Ashley, since he spent the early part of the noughties taking a break from acting to join the pop band allSTARS. The group achieved a top ten success with the Bucks Fizz cover Land of Make Believe, as well as penning a song for the Scooby Doo film soundtrack in 2002 before splitting up the same year.

Ashley has appeared in a number of the 'Hollyoaks Hunks' calendars which will stand him in good stead when donning some of Strictly’s more daring Latin costumes.

The Wilmslow-born actor lives with his wife Karen and son Buddy Mac, and excitingly they are expecting their second child just days before our first live Strictly show.