The BBC has released the first official photographs of this year's Strictly Come Dancing contestants a week before the beloved dancing show is set to kick off.

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One group picture (above) shows the fifteen contestants donned in sparkly gold and black numbers, all posing for the camera in front of a shiny purple background. There are also a bunch of individual close-up shots that you can view in the gallery below!

The arrival of these images follows the release of a recent trailer that showed the professional dancers performing a routine at the Tate Modern in London.

This year's star-studded celebrity line-up has long been confirmed, with Les Dennis, Angela Rippon, Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Layton Williams all taking part to name just a few.

EastEnders star Bobby Brazier is also joining the cast and seems set to become a fan favourite this year. Brazier recently revealed which songs he'd most like to dance to on this year's run, saying: "There’s a few – it depends on the mood. Saturday Love and also This Woman’s Worth by Maxwell – that would be beautiful, I’d hope to make people cry doing that," he said.

"Maybe I’ll dedicate that one [to my mum]. I haven’t thought about it, but maybe that one," he added.

The professional dancers of Strictly Come Dancing 2023 wearing gold outfits
The professional dancers of Strictly Come Dancing 2023. BBC Studios/Robin Lee-Perrella

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Meanwhile, the professional line-up remains similar to last year's, with the likes of Dianne Buswell, Karen Hauer, Katya Jones, Giovanni Pernice and Johannes Radebe all returning for another year of glitz and glam on the ballroom floor.

Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman will be back at Elstree as the hosts of the 2023 season and will welcome all 15 celebrities and their professional partners to compete for the coveted Glitterball trophy.

Strictly Come Dancing starts at 6:35pm on 16th September on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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Authors

Chezelle Bingham is a Sub-Editor for Radio Times. She previously worked on Disney magazines as a Writer, for 6 pre-school and primary titles. Alongside her prior work in writing, she possesses a BA in English Literature and Language.

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