Who is Paul Merson? Meet the Strictly Come Dancing 2024 contestant and former England footballer
Strictly Come Dancing has announced the former sportsman will be dancing in this year's season.
As the temperature begins to drop and the nights draw in, it can only mean one thing: Strictly Come Dancing is upon us.
The BBC dance competition, which is heading into its 22nd season, officially launches on Saturday 14th September and will see 15 famous faces paired with their professional dancing partners, before the first live show on Saturday 21st September.
A range of celebrities from across the worlds of entertainment, sport and broadcasting will be donning their dancing shoes in a bid to follow in the footsteps of Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola and lift the highly coveted Glitterball trophy this year.
To do that, they will not only have to impress the general public, but the judges, too.
Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse, Craig Revel-Horwood and Anton Du Beke will all be back to deliver a healthy dose of constructive criticism (some more than others), and enjoy performances from the likes of Paul Merson, who is taking to the ballroom floor to shake his tail feather.
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He's not the first ex-footballer to throw his hat in the Strictly ring, following on from Tony Adams, David James and Peter Shilton, but will he be the first to win it?
Read on for everything you need to know about Strictly Come Dancing 2024 contestant Paul Merson, and find out what he had to say about taking part.
Who is Paul Merson?
Age: 56
Job: Pundit and former footballer
Instagram: @paulmerseofficial
Paul Merson is a former footballer and manager, who played for Arsenal, Middlesbrough, Aston Villa - where he was made captain - and Portsmouth.
He was also part of many tournaments such as the FA Cup, the Euros and the World Cup. Beyond his football playing days, Merson became the manager of Walsall for two years between 2004 and 2006.
He now has an extensive media career which includes writing sports columns for the Daily Star and being a reporter on Sky Sports.
What has Paul Merson said about joining Strictly 2024?
When he was announced as one of the contestants for this year's season, Merson said: "Joining Strictly is a whole new ball game for me, but I’m going to tackle this challenge head on.
"I’m ready to swap the pitch for the ballroom floor, so here’s hoping my two left feet can learn some moves, and you never know, maybe I’ll be taking home the Glitterball Trophy!"
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Strictly Come Dancing will to BBC One and BBC iPlayer this autumn.
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