Nobody will be more "surprised" to see ex-Emmerdale star Kelvin Fletcher in the Strictly Come Dancing ballroom than his former soap castmates.
The Andy Sugden actor was announced as a surprise replacement for Made in Chelsea's Jamie Laing over the weekend, after the latter broke his foot in rehearsals with pro dancer Oti Mabuse.
Speaking about the reaction to his casting on the BBC dancing competition, Fletcher admitted that he has likely taken some of the residents of the Dales totally by surprise.
"There are a few of them who are massive Strictly fans," he said. "I think they'll be quite surprised to see me!"
Fletcher is just as excited for his young children to see him in the Strictly ballroom, since they're starting to love musicals.
"My eldest is 3, so they're only little but I think they'll love it," he predicted. "I spend most of my time at home dancing with my daughter to things like Frozen and The Greatest Showman. I think she'll be really excited to watch me do it for real."
What to Read Next
We earn a commission for products through some links in this article.
Although he's only early into the rehearsal process, Fletcher already has a plan to woo the viewers: "[I'll] probably just [be] taking my top off! Every time I've had a beer, that's something I've done with my friends!
"All of my friends are all different shapes and sizes so it's not even about how you look. I think it's a Northern thing?"
Strictly Come Dancing 2019's first live show airs on Saturday, September 21 on BBC One.
![Strictly Come Dancing - Motsi & Anton's Strictly The Best [DVD] [2021]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1636376452-51-wTB4ZAL._SL500_.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:* "Strictly Come Dancing - Motsi & Anton's Strictly The Best [DVD] [2021]")
![Strictly Come Dancing: Shirley and Craig's Perfect 10 [DVD]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1602857040-51TXVDJudnL.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:* "Strictly Come Dancing: Shirley and Craig's Perfect 10 [DVD]")
Want up-to-the-minute entertainment news and features? Just hit 'Like' on our Digital Spy Facebook page and 'Follow' on our @digitalspy Instagram and Twitter account.
Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
