The line-up for this year’s Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special is starting to take shape.

On Monday evening, it was revealed that athlete Harry Aikines-Aryeetey – better known to Gladiators fans as “Nitro” – will be the fourth celebrity being put through their paces this festive season.

Interestingly, Harry was previously widely rumoured for the main series of Strictly earlier this year, but it turned out to be his Gladiators colleague Montell Douglas who had signed up instead.

He enthused: “Nitro’s blasting onto the Ballroom floor this Christmas! I’m swapping my trainers for dancing shoes, and trust me, I’m bringing the power, the energy and the moves!

“This December I’m gonna light up that dancefloor and crank the Christmas spirit all the way up. Let’s do this!”

Harry will be partnered with professional dancer Nancy Xu on the Christmas special. Nancy was previously paired with Shayne Ward on the current series of Strictly, until he left the competition earlier this month.

The first three celebrities taking part in Strictly’s Christmas Day episode were revealed last week.

The rest of the line-up is expected to be announced in the coming days.

Strictly’s annual Christmas episode typically features six new celebs competing in a one-off special for the Silver Star trophy.

However, two of the contestants on the regular series of Strictly this year are former Christmas champions.

JLS singer JB Gill triumphed on Christmas Day back in 2012, while Jamie Borthwick’s festive win came just last year..

The EastEnders star came out on top during the 2023 Christmas special, during which he and Nancy Xu landed a perfect score for their Quickstep routine.