Olympian Tom Dean has signed up for 'Strictly Come Dancing'.
Tom Dean is set to compete on Strictly Come Dancing
The 24-year-old swimmer - who won gold at the Paris Olympics as part of the British relay team which won the 4x 200m men's freestyle on Tuesday (30.07.24) - will reportedly fly home from France to start training for the BBC Latin and ballroom show, which is due to return to screens in September.
A source told The Sun newspaper's TV Biz column: "It’s quite a coup for the producers to bag an Olympian fresh from winning gold in Paris, and swimmers have been shown to be great contestants.
"They tend to be a sensation as a result of their fitness, competitiveness and sheer determination to win — and Tom will still be pumped from his victory in France.
"He doesn’t quite have the same profile as other top-level swimmers yet but that’s likely to drastically change after his time on 'Strictly'.”
Tom previously triumphed at the 2020 Tokyo Games in both the 200m freestyle and the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay, making him the first British male swimmer to scoop two gold medals at the same Olympics in 113 years.
He won't be the first pool star to sign up for 'Strictly', as Mark Foster took part in 2008, Adam Peaty - who scooped a silver medal in Paris earlier this week - danced in 2021, and Paralympian Ellie Simmonds competed in 2022.
Meanwhile, other names expected to take part in the upcoming series include former Arsenal footballer Paul Merson, 'Love Island' beauty Tasha Ghouri, 'EastEnders' actor Jamie Borthwick, former 'TOWIE' star Pete Wicks, blind comedian Chris McCausland, and 'DIY SOS' presenter Nick Knowles.
Tagged in Mark Foster Nick Knowles Ellie Simmonds