The last weeks of summer are here, as we prepare for an autumn of Saturday nights spent watching Strictly Come Dancing.
The 2022 series kicks off with a launch show on 10 September where the celebrity contestants meet their professional partners. You can meet all the contestants taking place here.
The live shows then officially begin on Saturday 17 September.
Among the contestants is comedian and actor Jayde Adams.
Born in Bristol, Adams worked as a cabaret artist and Adele impersonator before turning to stand-up comedy.
She is a staple of the Edinburgh Fringe festival, where she is currently performing her show Men, I Can Save You. You can read The Independent’s four-star review of the show here.
As an actor, she’s performed in Alma’s Not Normal, while she has a starring role in forthcoming Take That film Greatest Days and has written and starred in her own ITV sitcom Ruby Speaking, out next year.
Growing up, Adams used to compete in freestyle disco dancing competitions with her sister Jenna, who died of a brain tumour in 2011.
In a recent interview with The Independent, Adams has said that Strictly Come Dancing is “everything I’ve ever worked towards”.
She said that the last time she ever danced was with her sister and that while she knew some Strictly fans may think she has too much dance experience for the show, she no longer had a “dancer’s body” and was prepared for the experience to be hard.
“I just think if Ashley Roberts from The Pussycat Dolls can go on the show, then Jayde Adams can go on it,” Adams said. “It’s gonna be hard work for me as it was for [2020 winner] Bill Bailey.”
Strictly Come Dancing launches 10 September on BBC One.
