Strictly Come Dancing: Dragons' Den star Sara Davies joins 2021 line-up

Dragons' Den star Sara Davies has become the sixth celebrity to join the Strictly Come Dancing line-up.

The 37-year-old became the youngest ever dragon on the BBC show's panel of entrepreneurs when she joined in 2019.

Known as the Den's "Crafting Queen", Davies started her business Crafter's Companion when she was still a student. It now employs nearly 250 people.

The County Durham-born entrepreneur said her "mam and dad are going to be so excited" about her joining Strictly.

"I'm really nervous because so far the producers keep asking me if I can dance. Truth be told - I haven't got a clue! I've not danced since I did ballet lessons when I was little."

She added: "The business world has taught me that tenacity, drive and determination deliver results, I hope that I can bring that to the dance floor. And I'm excited to see the impact of all those hours of training on my mum tum!"

Davies is the recipient of more than 30 business awards and, in 2016, she was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to the economy.

Since then she has become one of the Den's most popular dragons thanks to her kind-but-firm approach to entrepreneurs asking for investment in their companies.

Last week, Rhys Stevenson, Tom Fletcher, AJ Odudu, Robert Webb and John Whaite were unveiled as contestants on Strictly 2021.

They will be among the 15 stars on the dance floor when the hit BBC One show returns this autumn. The other contestants will be named in the coming days.

The 19th series is expected to be the normal length, after being slightly shorter in 2020 because of the Covid pandemic.

It has already been announced that Bruno Tonioli will be absent from the judges' desk this year, replaced by long-serving professional dancer Anton Du Beke. Four new professionals have also been revealed.

Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and head judge Shirley Ballas will return to the panel. Here are the 2021 celebrity contestants so far:

The singer and guitarist, who scored seven UK number one singles with McFly between 2004 and 2007, is taking to the dance floor exactly a decade after his bandmate Harry Judd lifted the coveted glitterball trophy.

Fletcher has also carved out a successful sideline as a children's author, and his family could do a unique reality TV double after wife Giovanna won I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! last year.

He said he was "incredibly excited" but also "totally terrified" to do Strictly. "My kids were excited too until I started showing them my best dad-dancing in the kitchen," he said. "I'm not sure how far they'll get me in the competition but I can't wait to add some new moves to my embarrassing dad-dancing repertoire."

The Blackburn-born presenter rose to fame hosting Big Brother's Bit on the Side in 2013, and has since appeared on shows like The Voice UK and Trending Live!.

In September, she will co-present a one-off revival of Channel 4's The Big Breakfast alongside comedian Mo Gilligan.

She said she was "beyond chuffed" to be on Strictly. "I absolutely love the show and am fully committed to making the most of every second of the Strictly experience," she said. "Bring it on!"

The comic actor is best-known for his double act with David Mitchell in TV shows like Peep Show, That Mitchell and Webb Look and Back. Like Fletcher, he has also become an author.

And Webb has form on the dance floor - he won Let's Dance For Comic Relief in 2009.

"It's a big, generous, joyful show and I can't wait to get packed into a spandex onesie and fired from a glitter cannon directly at Claudia Winkleman," he said.

Actor and children's TV presenter Stephenson is best known as the face of children's television channel CBBC, which he hosts live from the channel's Salford HQ.

He has presented such CBBC shows as Blue Peter and Saturday Mash-Up! and is an ambassador for children's mental health charity Place2Be.

"I cannot wait to experience it all: the costumes, the orchestra, even Craig's glare," he said of his participation in Strictly. "I am ready!"

The actor and children's TV presenter added he was already "impatient to take part" after being unveiled on Friday morning's Newsround news bulletin.

"I have dreamt about being on this show, and I know for a fact it is going to exceed every expectation," he said.

Whaite is a chef, TV presenter and cookery author. He won the third series of The Great British Bake Off in 2012 at the age of 23.

Since then he has presented TV shows and has a cooking segment on Steph's Packed Lunch on Channel 4.

He has also published five cookery books and runs his own cookery school, John Whaite's Kitchen.

"I'm so grateful, excited, and nervous to be joining the Strictly 2021 family," he said. "I've been wearing sequins and jazzy attire since I was three years old and can't wait to hurl myself, full throttle, around the most glamorous dance floor on Earth."

Whaite will be part of the show's first all-male partnership. He will follow in the footsteps of boxer Nicola Adams, who was the first celebrity to have a same-sex partner last year.

The 2012 Bake Off winner described his partnership as "a great step forward in representation and inclusion".

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