OLYMPIC champion Adam Peaty is swapping swimming strokes for ballroom moves as he joins the celebrity line-up for Strictly Come Dancing.
Peaty won two golds and a silver at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and also made history as the first British swimmer to retain an Olympic title after claiming victory in the men’s 100 metres breaststroke with a time of 57.37s, the fifth fastest time in the event’s history.
The 26-year-old is the thirteenth contestant to join the line-up of the BBC series.
He said: “I think this will come as a surprise to a lot of people, but I’m so excited to finally share the news that I’ll be joining Strictly this year. I’m really looking forward to doing something totally different and challenging myself away from the pool. I’m hoping my competitive nature is going to compensate for my dancing abilities!”
Peaty is an eight-time world champion, a 16-time European champion and a three-time Commonwealth champion. Following his Olympic success, he announced he would be taking a short break from the pool and will miss the upcoming International Swimming League starting at the end of this month.
He joins Loose Women star Judi Love, Dragons’ Den investor Sara Davies, Peep Show’s Robert Webb and more in the all-star line-up of Strictly contestants.
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