Who is Billy Monger? Strictly Come Dancing Christmas contestant and racing driver
Will this famed racer manage to drive Craig Revel-Horwood to raise his 10 paddle?
Fearless Billy Monger has been known for his feats in agility and speed – so hopefully these will both come in handy when it comes to Strictly Come Dancing.
The racer has signed up for Strictly's Christmas Special for his latest test, but it seems his biggest fear is the judges more than the dancing.
Will he drive any of the judges to raise a 10 paddle? Or will he have to take a pitstop when it comes to a dancing future?
Here's everything you need to know about the star before he takes to the dance floor.
Who is Billy Monger?
Age: 25
Instagram: @billymongerracing
Job: TV presenter
Billy Monger is a 25-year-old racing driver and TV presenter from Surrey.
He has been a kart racer since the age of six, and joined the F4 British championship team for the first time in 2016.
In April 2017, he was involved in a devastating accident while racing in Donington Park racetrack, crashing at high speed into a competitor.
It resulted in both his legs being amputated, and he now walks (and will dance) on specialist prosthetic limbs. Despite this, he was back on the racetrack by that November, and now also gives commentary on the sport during TV coverage.
In March 2021, he completed Billy's Big Challenge – a 140mile race involving walking kayaking and cycling – in aid of Comic Relief, raising over £3million for the charity.
What has Billy said about joining Strictly's Christmas Special 2024?
After being announced as part of the Strictly Christmas 2024 line-up, Billy said: "I've spent the last 12 months training 20 hours a week for an Ironman world record attempt, but the thought of donning sequins in front of Craig Revel Horwood fills me with a fear I've never experienced before.
"This is about as far from my comfort zone as it can get! My family are big Strictly fans, so I'm doing it for them and to raise awareness for what I’m doing for Comic Relief next year.
"I'm just hoping my leg doesn't fall off mid-dance!"
It's not been revealed what Billy will be dancing to yet.
Who is Billy Monger's professional dancer on the Strictly Christmas Special 2024?
Billy will be partnered with Strictly pro Nadiya Bychkova for the Christmas special.
Nadiya has been a member of the Strictly Come Dancing professional cast since 2017, and has had six partners throughout her time on the show.
This year, she competed with Olympian Tom Dean, but was the first eliminated contestant of the series.
This will be her third Christmas Special, previously dancing with Gavin & Stacey star Larry Lamb, and TV presenter Dan Snow.
Who else is participating on Strictly Christmas Special 2024?
This year's Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special contestants are:
- EastEnders star Tamzin Outhwaite dancing with pro Nikita Kuzmin
- Comedian Josh Widdicombe dancing with Karen Hauer
- Gladiators star Harry "Nitro" Aikines-Aryeetey dancing with pro Nancy Xu
- TV and podcast presenter Vogue Williams dancing with pro Gorka Marquez
- RuPaul's Drag Race UK star Tayce dancing with pro Kai Widdrington
- Racing driver Billy Monger dancing with pro Nadiya Bychkova
Vogue was initially partnered with pro dancer Carlos Gu, but he had to pull out due to injury.
Strictly Come Dancing's Christmas Special airs on Christmas Day (25th December) at 3pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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Authors
Tilly Pearce is a freelance TV journalist whose coverage ranges from reality shows like Love Is Blind to sci-fi shows like Fallout. She is an NCTJ Gold Standard accredited journalist, who has previously worked as Deputy TV Editor (maternity cover) at Digital Spy, and Deputy TV & Showbiz Editor at Daily Express US.
