General Chat

ok here goes, these are the contestants for the 6th series.

Cherie Lunghi & James Jordan

Andrew Castle & Ola Jordan

Christine Bleakley & Matthew Cutler

Austin Healey & Erin Boag

Gillian Taylforth & Anton Du Beke

Don Warrington & Lilia Kopylova

Heather Small & Brian Fortuna

Gary Rhodes & Karen Hardy

Jessie Wallace & Darren Bennett

John Sergeant & Kristina Rihanoff

Jodie Kidd & Ian Waite

Mark Foster & Hayley Holt

Lisa Snowdon & Brendan Cole

Phil Daniels & Flavia Cacace

Rachel Stevens & Vincent Simone

Tom Chambers & Camilla Dallerup

Could be interesting. I fancy Tom and Camilla, Lisa and Brendan, Gary and Karen and Mark and Hayley.

interesting...i suspect Brendan will fancy Lisa..lol

Karen x

Hardly know any of them !

But I will still be watching !!

Love the show.


Marilyn

As I said when I put up the original post re this years contestants, for me personally this is a lack-lustre, uninspiring line-up and I am really disappointed. However, being a Strict addict, I will watch the first couple of shows and see if the personalities involved 'grow' on me. I know of Andrew Castle, Gary Rhodes(although I don't watch cooking shows) know who the S Club 7 girl is and John Humphreys the tv/politics bloke, but by and large I am not too enthusiastic about any of them. I sound like a right old misery I know, but when you think of all the celebrities they could have invited - and who profess an interest in doing it - I still remain disappointed. That said... roll on the first week !!

Heather Small - really like her - excellent singer from M People

Gary Rhodes - can't stand him!!!

I just love Strictly - never miss a week if I can help it!!!

Hiya Margaret,
Tried to find the thread you put up the other day but couldn't see it, did you delete it? That's why i put a new one up.
Helen

will add a brief write up about each of the celebrities.

Cherie Lunghi
Leading lady of stage and screen, Cherie Lunghi has appeared in practically every popular drama or series going: from Casualty and Cutting It to Hotel Babylon; Cherie has also starred in Waking the Dead, The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, Secret Diary of a Callgirl and The Manageress, where she played the first woman in Britain to ever become manager of a professional soccer team.

Cherie first burst into the public consciousness as Guinevere in the acclaimed film, Excalibur. She also appeared in Oliver Twist, The Mission alongside Robert de Niro and Jeremy Irons and Jack and Sarah with Richard E. Grant.

Andrew Castle
Swapping the courts for the dance floor, former British number one tennis player Andrew has been a breakfast presenter on GMTV on ITV1 since 2000.

A member of the BBC tennis team, covering Wimbledon and all the major tennis tournaments, Andrew has been lead commentator on all Men's Singles Finals since 2003 working alongside John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Jimmy Connors, and Tim Henman. He was also a member of the UK's Olympic teams in Seoul in 1988 and Barcelona in 1992.

Christine Bleakley
Christine's career did not begin in front of the camera. In actual fact she trained as a floor manager in television in her native Northern Ireland. She quickly climbed the TV production ladder, emerging as a solo presenter on BBC Northern Ireland for such shows as Skyhigh and First Stop.

Her big break in the UK came when the producer of The One Show called her up and asked if she would step into then presenter Myleene Klass's shoes as she had unexpectedly gone into labour. She's since been made co-presenter with Adrian Chiles.

Helen - I could have deleted. I tend to do that if it does not bring enough interested folk on. Look forward to comparing notes as we did last year on Strictly (and Maria,Joseph and Nancy!!). Looks like you and I are committed addicts to all of these shows.

Austin Healey
Strictly Come Dancing has had its fair share of colourful contestants and former rugby union ace Austin Healey certainly continues this tradition. While his all-round talent and international and domestic triumphs made him a regular fixture of the sports pages, Austin has also created headlines with his views on team mates, rugby rivals and club managers.

On the pitch he achieved international recognition at an early age - he played for England under 21s in 1992, aged just 19 and was an integral member of the Leicester team that dominated the sport from 1998 to 2002.

Yep Margaret, we must be, Have you been watching Last Choir Standing? I have only seen the last couple of episodes.

Gillian Taylforth
Gillian is the Queen of the Soaps, with more than 20 years starring in Britain's most popular TV shows including playing the role of Kathy Mitchell in EastEnders, as Jackie Pascoe-Webb in ITV1's Footballers' Wives, and more recently as Sgt. Nikki Wright in ITV1's The Bill.

Gillian's main reason for taking part is because she is a huge fan of the show and loves dancing and keeping fit. She also feels that she's been working so hard at acting recently, that she that it was about time she had a bit of fun.

Don Warrington
Don's most famous for playing the role of Philip Smith in the sitcom Rising Damp co-starring the late Leonard Rossiter and Kate Beckinsale's late father, Richard Beckinsale. He has also appeared in the crime drama C.A.T.S. Eyes, as government contact Nigel Beaumont and played Judge Ken Winyard in New Street Law.

Don has always wanted to learn how to dance, believing it's a wonderful skill to acquire. He'd especially like to learn some of the more 'classic' dances such as ballroom.

Heather Small
Heather Small is a pop singer best known for fronting M People. The 1990s saw the Manchester dance act notch up twenty Top 20 hits, the highest of which, Moving On Up got to No.2 in 1993.

Outside of M People, Heather appeared on the 1997 Children In Need song Perfect Day, alongside such pop legends as David Bowie, Bono, Elton John and Boyzone - to name just three.

Gary Rhodes
As one of Britain's most foremost TV chefs, Gary Rhodes is no stranger to heat (or patterned trousers), which will hopefully stand him in good stead on the Strictly dance floor.

Gary has been a chef for over 30 years, having run several Michelin-star restaurants, made guest appearances on numerous cooking shows, and presented his own shows Rhodes Around Britain and Gary's Perfect Christmas. He was awarded an OBE in 2007.

Jessie Wallace
As Eastenders' own Kat Slater, Jessie Wallace is no stranger to spectacle. Her talent and a run of searing storylines has earned her a string of awards from Best Actress to Sexiest Female.

Since leaving Albert Square in 2005, Jessie has appeared in BBC One's A Class Apart, BBC Four's Miss Marie Lloyd - Queen of The Music Hall and ITV1's Wild At Heart. Jessie has also been keeping up appearances on the stage, making her West End debut in Rent Remixed in 2007.

Cherie is married to Trevor Eve [Shoestring] and she also used to do the adverts for Nescafe

No Helen - that is the one show I have not followed. I don't know why really because it is supposed to have been good.
Will you be keeping this thread going throughout Strictly for folk to comment each week ?