Strictly's Tom Dean got "slap on the wrist" after letting slip line-up news early
The excitement of the Olympics saw a slight slip of the tongue from Tom ahead of the show.
It's usually the unspoken rule that if you sign up to Strictly Come Dancing, do not tell anyone until it's announced. However, this year one celebrity found themselves accidentally revealing all.
Tom Dean, who had helped Team GB retain their men's 4x200m freestyle title at the Paris Olympics, revealed in an interview he would be taking part – a week before the official casting announcements took place.
"Naturally, you want to take a break after you've had a full Olympic cycle and the opportunity arose," he said of the show. "I thought it would be really exciting to try something a bit different." Cue the drama!
While it wasn't confirmed by the BBC at the time, the swimmer was eventually revealed as part of the official line-up alongside the likes of EastEnders' Jamie Borthwick, TOWIE star Pete Wicks and Miranda actress Sarah Hadland.
Quizzed by RadioTimes.com and other press about that standout moment, Tom explained: "I'd literally got the call one minute before racing an Olympic final, so that was kind of what was going through my mind.
"And then I got fired that Strictly question. So, I wasn't really 100 per cent [or] dialled in on what I should be saying, and then a little slip of the tongue."
It was after the interview he realised what he'd admitted and told his one of his coaches: "I think I might have messed up."
However, it wasn't too big of a deal for show bosses as Tom said he just got "[a] little slap on the wrist".
As for how he managed to evade the wave of questions that followed, the swimmer simply turned off his phone and ignored it all.
"I switch my phone off anyway when I'm at a major meet. So I was like, 'Turn off that. I've got a job to do and then worry about that later.'"
There is just one week to go before the celebrities take to the dance floor and meet their professional partners and so far, Tom has found it fairly "intense".
He elaborated: "It's much more fun. The Olympics, it's very serious, but this is a big team effort at the moment. It's enjoyable and also you're working with your pro, but you're also dancing with them.
"My coach doesn't dive in and swim with me so [it's] a little bit different."
Viewers will have to tune in next weekend to see if Tom can put his training to the test!
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The Strictly Come Dancing 2024 launch show will air on Saturday 14th September at 7:20pm on BBC One and BBC 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.
