It’s official: chef and presenter Ainsley Harriott has signed up for Strictly Come Dancing 2015.


Perhaps the judges can hold up green peppers or red tomatoes when dishing out the scores to make the former Ready Steady Cook host feel at ease on the dance floor?

The 58-year-old was revealed to be the second celebrity joining the series on tonight’s The One Show.

Of joining the show, Harriott said, “I do like the idea especially when I’m gliding around the kitchen… It’s a premiere show, isn’t it? Saturday night telly as it should be,” before asking hosts and former Strictly contestants Alex Jones and Matt Baker for tips.

It’s been almost five years since Harriott held the fort on BBC’s Ready Steady Cook, for which he regularly recorded more than a hundred episodes a year. Since then he’s served up a successful line of branded store-cupboard products and recently fronted a More4 programme about street food.

In May of this year Harriott said he’d been approached by various reality shows, although at the time he didn’t seem overly keen. “I’ve been approached to do I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! and various other reality shows, but I didn’t fancy any of that,” he told the Telegraph. But who can resist the sparkly outfits, eh?

Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC1 this autumn

Jeremy Vine reveals Strictly contestants have been given Disney code names

For the latest news check out www.radiotimes.com/strictly


Robin Windsor, Alex Jones and Sir Bruce Forsyth will be at the Radio Times Festival this September Tickets are available here.