Fred Sirieix and Jay Blades to compete in StrictlyChristmas Special

Fred Sirieix and Jay Blades will take part in the 'Strictly Come Dancing' Christmas special.

The 'First Dates' maître d'hôtel and the 'Repair Shop' star are the first celebrities to be unveiled for the upcoming festive show, which will see a total of six couples take to the floor to perform a seasonal routine in a bid to impress judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and Shirley Ballas.

Fred will dance with Dianne Buswell and is thrilled to be taking part.

He said: “I absolutely love Christmas so I’m delighted to be taking part in the Strictly Christmas special and to be partnered with the magnificent Dianne. I hope my dance moves bring some Christmas joy to everybody watching at home and don’t make the judges say 'Bah, Humbug!' ”

Meanwhile, Jay is "super excited" to be on the show but his professional partner, Luba Mushtuk, may have her work cut out because the 'Home Fix' star admitted the only moves he knows at the moment are "Dad dancing".

He gushed: “I’m super excited, times two! One, because I’m going to learn a new dance apart from the ‘Dad’ dance, and two because I’m going to be on Strictly! It’s a show that I’ve always admired, and I can’t wait to see how I perform!”

The news was revealed on Monday (22.11.21) on BBC Two spin-off show 'Strictly: It Takes Two'.

The coronavirus pandemic meant there was no 'Strictly' Christmas special in 2020, but since 2014, the festive episodes have seen former contestants go head-to-head.

In 2019, series 15 runner-up Debbie McGee won with Kevin Clifton, while in 2018, Aston Merrygold - who had also taken part in series 15 - won with Janette Manrara.