Who is Montell Douglas? Meet Strictly Come Dancing 2024 contestant and Gladiator
Montell will certainly be bringing some fiery numbers onto the dancefloor.
Montell Douglas and her partner Johannes Radebe have had a tricky time of things in recent weeks on Strictly Come Dancing, with the pair often finding themselves in the bottom two.
Saved by the judges last week after facing Jamie Borthwick in the dance-off, the pair will certainly be looking to wow audiences at home once more.
While the pair performed an electric Quickstep, there was a moment of worry the night before!
During their appearance on It Takes Two, Johannes opened up about Montell experiencing "dancer's block" the Friday evening before the live show.
He explained: "The truth of the matter is, it came to Friday and it came to the dress run and this one particular run across the floor where we did this beautiful leap, she just was out of timing. She just had dancer's block.
"I looked at it and I was like, 'It's fine, you've got it, you have been doing it the whole week, it's fine' but it just, in that moment, it just happened and she was like, 'Oh it's just not good enough.'
"I said, 'Baby you are perfect, don't worry and it will come to you' and it came to her at the right time. But she didn't sleep!"
Well, we can all hope Montell gets a good night's sleep before this Saturday's show!
But who exactly is Montell Douglas? As she swaps out her sports gear for sparkles, read on for everything you need to know about the Strictly Come Dancing 2024 contestant and Olympian.
Who is Montell Douglas?
Age: 38
Job: Olympian
Instagram: @montytrackstar
Partner: Johannes Radebe
Montell Douglas is a multisport Olympian who has competed in both sprinting and bobsledding. The 38-year-old once held the record for the 100 metres at 11.05 seconds and has competed in both the Summer and Winter Olympics.
In 2008, she competed in the Summer Olympics as a sprinter and was a finalist as part of a team in the 4x100 metres relay. She then was selected for the 2022 Winter Olympics after taking up bobsledding in 2016.
In 2023, it was announced she would be a Gladiator on the show's BBC revival and her nickname would be Fire.
Montell Douglas's Strictly journey so far
Scoreboard
Week 1: Foxtrot (6+7+6+7) = 26
Week 2: Samba (8+7+7+8) = 30
Week 3: Tango (7+7+7+7) = 28
Week 4: Viennese Waltz (8+8+8+9) = 33
Week 5: Couple's Choice (9+10+10+10) = 39
Week 6: Cha Cha (9+9+9+8 ) = 35
Week 7: Waltz (9+9+9+8 ) = 35
Week 8: Paso Doble (9+9+9+9) = 36
Week 9: Salsa (8+9+9+9) = 35
Week 10: Quickstep (8+10+9+10) + 5 = 42
What is Montell Douglas dancing to in Week 11 on Strictly?
Montell and her partner Johannes will be dancing a Rumba to I'm Here from The Colour Purple.
What has Montell Douglas said about joining Strictly 2024?
Speaking about joining, Montell Douglas said: "Strictly ARE YOU READY, Fire is here to light up the Ballroom. Wow, I am so honoured to have been asked to do the show. It is such an amazing thing to be a part of and I can’t wait to get started.
"Hopefully, a few of my Gladiator moves will come in handy with the Tango or Paso Doble!"
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Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday 30th November at 7:05pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
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Authors
Katelyn Mensah is the Entertainment and Factual Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.
Aaliyah Harry
