Who is Richie Anderson? Get to know the Strictly Come Dancing and Radio 2 star

2022-08-05

It’s nearly been a year since Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice found success onStrictly Come Dancing and took home the infamous Glitterball trophy, and now a new group of famous faces are looking to put their dance moves to the test.

After announcing that the hit BBC show would hit our screens in September,the contestants for the 2022 series have been being unveiled thick and fast.

Most recently, radio presenterRichie Anderson announced that he would be appearing on Strictly Come Dancing alongside fellow contestants Will Mellor and Kym Marsh.

But who is Richie and where will viewers know him from? Let’s take a peek…

Fans of Radio 2 may be familiar with Richie as he presents the travel bulletins on Zoe Ball's Breakfast Show and has also hosted a variety of shows on the station, including the coverage of this year’s Eurovision.

During his time on the station, Richie has proved that he has what it takes to tear up the dance floor and joined Strictly presentersClaudia Winkleman andTess Daly as part of the duo’s Comic Relief Danceathon in 2019.

More recently, Richie showed off his moves once again when he joinedSophie Ellis-Bextor for her Kitchen Disco Danceathon last November.

Away from radio, Sunday league footballer Richie is often seen on The One Show and received an RTS Award for 'Best Short-Form Presenter’ in 2018 after shining a light on homophobia in the sport and personally coming out to his teammates.

The TV personality also played a part in the BBC’s coverage of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee alongside Capital Breakfast presenter Roman Kemp.

Reflecting on the opportunity, Richie wrote on Instagram: “The concert was so beautiful and emotional.

“Then afterwards I was invited to a drinks reception inside Buckingham Palace where I got to meet Prince William, Prince Edward, Princess Beatrice and @aliciakeys A moment that will live with me forever.”

Originally from the West Midlands, Richie headed back to his home city of Birmingham last month where he took part in the Commonwealth Games as part of the Queen’s Baton relay.

Outside of the spotlight, radio DJ Richie has been in a relationship with partner Dean Eagles and the pair have been together for nearly 10 years.

After revealing that he’d be appearing on the show during an episode of Zoe Ball's Breakfast show, Richie also announced that he would be part of an all-male partnership.

“This is a dream come true! I cannot wait to get in those sparkles and sequins and shimmy across the most famous dance floor in the world! Strictly is the ultimate feel-good show, as soon as I hear that iconic theme tune it’s just pure escapism,” he said.

“I’m going to have to cancel my legendary Strictly launch night kitchen party that I throw every year, I’m sure my friends and family will understand.

“It’s also a massive honour to be part of an all-male dance partnership, it’s so important we have that inclusion on such a huge show,” he added.

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