Rocket Man

Snooker star 'The Rocket' Ronnie O'Sullivan is reportedly considering a place on this year's Strictly line-up.

Ronnie's spokesperson told the Daily Mail: "He is considering Strictly Come Dancing. There are a lot of things being put in front of him. He is taking a break indefinitely from snooker and he has a lot of new projects already."

Ronnie would follow in the dancesteps of previous snooker entrants Dennis Taylor and Willie Thorne.

Britain's Got Ballroom

Britain's Got Talent winner Ashleigh Butler has reveled that she would like to give Strictly a go.

She told the Daily Star: “I’d love to do Strictly. It would be nice to show people who I am... I can dance. I mainly do contemporary but I reckon that I could try ballroom.”

Next! Martine McCutcheon...

Martine McCutcheon has revealed that she turned down Strictly Come Dancing, in case it might damage her career prospects.

Martine has had dance training, and fears that a few bad comments could undermine her abilities.

She told DigitalSpy: "I'm meant to be good at it. It would be like Rio Ferdinand going on a football show and getting a panel with two on it. In front of the country. I'm meant to be singing, dancing and acting. I think it would do me harm if I went on and people said, 'Oh, she's s**t'. So it would be a no."

It's an interesting, if odd, perspective; although doesn't say much about Martine's faith in her own abilities. Most participants who have had some dance training have done well on Strictly, and the show has been a much-needed career jolt for anyone who can make it to the halfway point in the show. Or maybe she's just happy flogging yoghurt...

Traveller To Tango?

I love it when the Strictly rumour mill really get's going.

Next up on the grapevine is Paddy Doherty, Irish traveller and star of Celebrity Big Brother.

The Daily Star reports that producers would like to sign him, although according to a source, he may not last that long: “He is Mr Two Left Feet.He can’t dance to save his life.”

I'm not sure Paddy would be high up on my Strictly wish list. The BBC usually steers clear of reality stars from other shows anyway. But you never know...

I think some of the female pros might struggle with his accent a bit too. Although that would make for some interesting training footage...

Michelle Keegan For Strictly?

Strictly producers are reportedly keen to sign Coronation Street star Michelle Keegan for 2012, if Corrie will give her time off.

According to the Daily Star, Corrie would be reluctant to give Michelle, who plays Tina McIntyre, the time off she would need, and would likely not want her going to a BBC show.

A source told the paper: “The Beeb can dream on. For starters, Michelle has some big storylines coming up at the end of the year. And if she was going to do anything outside Corrie then we’d want her on Dancing On Ice.”

Another Cricketer For Strictly?

Could Strictly be getting another cricketer?

According to The Sun, former England captain will follow in the footsteps of Mark Ramprakash, Darren Gough and Phil Tuffnell by appearing on Strictly.

A source told the paper: “Michael was chuffed that the BBC asked him to take part. But he was really uncertain about it. He had to think hard about having to dress up in pink and sequins and learn how to dance in front of millions of viewers. He asked a lot of his sporting mates if he should do it and Robbie [Savage] immediately told him to say yes, as he had such a great time in last year’s show.”

Sian Williams For Strictly?

Will Sian Williams be heading back to the dancefloor in 2012.

According to The Sun, Sian, who participated in the Strictly special for Children In Need last year is set to be a part of this year's lineup.

A source told the paper: “She is hugely popular with BBC viewers and is fit as a fiddle so we want her on the dance floor.”

The article also claims that Olympic skeleton gold medallist Amy Williams is also slated to appear.

Scent Of A Dancer

What does Strictly smell like? I'm guessing fear, fake tan and sweat. But hopefully the experts a Avon will come up with something more appealing.

According to Licensing.biz, BBC Worldwide have done a deal with cosmetics retailer Avon to produce two Strictly Come Dancing fragrances for Christmas 2012. The perfumes will be called Latin Sensation and Ballroom Beautiful.

Jason King, Avon's European fragrance and colour cosmetics director, said: "The scents evoke the thrill of being swept away on the dance floor, while the precious bottles were inspired by the iconic glitter ball and dazzling jewels that are synonymous with the show."

Brendan To Become A Father

Brendan Cole and his wife Zoe are expecting their first child.

Brendan posted the news on Twitter, saying: "Check out my beautiful wife!!! If you think it looks like she might be 'glowing'...? Then you'd be right...she is!"

Presuming this announcement is at the usual 12-week point in Zoe's pregnancy, the baby won't be due until after the upcoming series of Strictly is over, although Brendan is going back on tour with a new tour, Licence To Thrill, after Christmas.

Claudia's Future Uncertain

Claudia Winkleman doesn't yet know if she'll be returning to Strictly Come Dancing this year, saying "They haven't phoned."

Claudia told the Daily Star: “I would love to do it but the new baby is quite amazing so I like staying at home. I’d like another but I’ve told I’m not allowed by my husband. I rarely work. I am only obsessed with the baby and eating baked beans.”

Meet Karen Hauer...

Karen Hauer is the new female professional on Strictly Come Dancing, replacing Katya Virshilas.



Like Pasha, Artem and Robin, Karen is a veteran of Burn The Floor. And like Pasha and Artem, she is also a graduate of So You Think You Can Dance in the US. Karen was born in Venezuela.

Here's a clip of Karen dancing with husband Matt in 2009.

New Producers Put The Kat Out

Katya Virshilas is the only casulty of the new Strictly producers, despite speculation that there might be some house clearing.

A source told The Sun: “[New producers] Glen [Coomber] and Andrea [Hamilton] wanted to meet the dancers and hear why they wanted to do this year’s show. They always knew they wanted to bring in fresh talent but it was about deciding who would have have to make way and they decided to give Katya the boot. She is not as high profile as some of the other female dancers, although it was a close call and it was nothing personal against her."