Murder On The Dancefloor! Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Abbey Crouch lead the glamour as full Strictly line-up is announced (but they're more covered up than usual)
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It's the moment all Strictly Come Dancing fans have been waiting for - the announcement of this year's line-up of celebrities.
And it looks set to be a killer of a show - with Murder On The Dancefloor singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Abbey Crouch leading the glamour of the 2013 series.
Although the new promotional images that have been released show the stars far more covered up than the usual scantily clad costumes they're seen in on the show.
She'll be Murder On The Dancefloor: Singer and model Sophie Ellis-Bextor, 34, has been unveiled as one of the new celebrities to appear in the 2013 line-up of BBC's Strictly Come Dancing
Countdown maths boffin Rachel Riley has also clocked up some impressive figures of her own after bookies installed her as favourite to win Strictly Come Dancing when the line-up was confirmed on Monday evening.
She will take on the likes of Hairy Biker Dave Myers and fashion designer Julien Macdonald in the new series which has its launch at the weekend.
Riley, a 27-year-old Oxford graduate, has been placed as the early favourite at 4-1 by bookmaker William Hill, with model Abbey Clancy - wife of soccer star Peter Crouch - close behind at 5-1.
The 15-strong line-up will feature in the launch show on Saturday and will be hoping to remain in the contest until December as they battle for the all-important glitterball trophy.
Has she got model moves? Abbey Crouch, wife of footballer Peter, has also been confirmed and wears the most risque of outfits in the official shots
Making it count: Countdown's Rachel Riley and BBC newsreader Susanna Reid will also compete, with Rachel appearing as an early favourite to win
Others who have finally been unveiled are Coronation Street's Natalie Gumede, Dragons' Den panellist Deborah Meaden and retired rugby player Ben Cohen, who now runs an anti-bullying charity foundation.
Former Bond girl Fiona Fullerton, who featured in A View To A Kill, Ashley Taylor Dawson from Hollyoaks, radio presenter Vanessa Feltz and Patrick Robinson from Casualty are also among the stars hoping to dazzle on the dancefloor.
Another competition, BBC Breakfast host Susanna Reid, told today how she is "aching in places I've never ached before", after beginning her training for Strictly.
Getting ready: TV presenter Vanessa Feltz, 51, gives a hint of her moves in a blue and turquoise dress as bosses decide to save the raunchy dance costumes for the shoe
Glammed up: Former Bond girl Fiona Fullerton rocks a gold and black dress while Dragons' Den star Deborah Meaden is dressed in royal blue for her debut promotional image
Silver goddess: Former Coronation Street actress Natalie Gumede gives the other girls a run for their money in the glamour stakes - but will she have fancy footwork?
But Reid, who has already appeared on a Children in Need Strictly special in 2011 and ranked in FHM's 100 sexiest women poll this year, added she was "not in it to win it, just to enjoy it".
Myers - one half of the BBC's Hairy Bikers cookery duo - is an outsider for the contest along with golfer Tony Jacklin and Feltz who are all at 50-1.
Also competing in the 11th series of the ballroom dancing show is Waterloo Road actor Mark Benton.
Ready for action: Designer Julien Macdonald will be taking to the dancefloor at the series launch this Saturday, alongside Hollyoaks actor Ashley Taylor Dawson
Will he get the glitterball trophy? Waterloo Road actor Mark Benton gets suited and booted ahead of the launch this week
They will all be aiming to follow in the footsteps of last year's victor, the Olympic medal-winning gymnast Louis Smith.
Sir Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly will continue to host the show on Saturday evenings, while Sunday results show will see Daly joined by Claudia Winkleman.
Familiar faces such as Brendan Cole, Anton du Beke, Kristina Rihanoff, Robin Windsor and James and Ola Jordan will be back on the show among the ranks of professional dancers.
The boys: Casualty's Patrick Robinson, 49, Former golfer Tony Jacklin, 69, and Hairy Biker Dave Myers, 55, also complete the line-up of the 2013 show
Token sports star: Rugby star Ben Cohen, 34, looks dapper in his all black shirt and tie as he poses for his debut Strictly photo
Aliona Vilani will also make a return, replacing injured Natalie Lowe who has fractured her foot.
Five new professionals will also join the ranks - Anya Garnis, Iveta Lukosiute, Janette Manrara, Kevin Clifton and Aljaz Skorjanec.
They're back! Tess Daly and Bruce Forsyth will again present the show, although Claudia Winkleman will join Tess on Sundays like last year
STRICTLY COME DANCING 2013: THE FULL LINE-UP
Abbey Crouch, 27, shot to fame as runner-up on Britain's Next Top Model. The wife of footballer Peter Crouch, she has ranked in FHM's world's 100 sexiest women. The WAG insisted that she is not competitive and that her fitness levels are "horrendous", saying: 'I always work better if I get praise than if someone shouts at me, because I tend to shut down. I need encouragement, not to be shouted at.'
Ashley Taylor Dawson, 31, is one of Hollyoaks' longest-serving cast members, playing bad lad Darren Osborne. He had a previous brush with fame as a member of pop band allSTARS*. Taylor Dawson said that he will be a perfectionist, adding of his preparation for the show: 'I had a go at doing some gymnastics, because I can't even touch my toes and I had a go at doing hot yoga, and I was terrible at both...'
Ben Cohen, 34, is a former rugby World Cup champion and retired from the sport to concentrate on running his charitable foundation, combating bullying and homophobia, in 2011. Cohen, who has a wife and children and was mistakenly introduced as "openly gay" by Commons Speaker John Bercow during an event earlier this year, is 30% deaf in each ear.
Dave Myers, 55, best known as one half of the Hairy Bikers, is hoping that having shed three stone will help him in the competition. He said: 'I want to enjoy it and I am going to be enthusiastic. I am going to wear as much fake tan and glitter as possible. I've never fake tanned before - I'll do anything!'
Multi-millionaire Deborah Meaden, 54, who shot to fame on Dragons' Den, previously took part in Let's Dance for Comic Relief. She said that she would not be able to live with herself if she turned down Strictly and added: 'I did ballroom dancing at school, but I was atrocious! I was distracted, I didn't like it - in honesty I was looking at the boys more than anything else as that's what you do as a teenage girl!'
Former Bond girl Fiona Fullerton, 56, is best known for playing KGB spy Pola Ivanova in 1985 film A View To A Kill. Now a writer and property investment guru, she said of what she would like to see in a dance partner: 'Somebody strong, gorgeous and patient, because I can be extremely trying sometimes.'
Julien Macdonald, 42, is the first fashion designer to compete on Strictly and said that he could not wait for the tables to be turned and for someone else to pick his wardrobe. He could also be remembered as one of Strictly's most vocal celebrities, warning: 'If there's one thing I never understand when I watch the show is when the dancers and celebrities take beatings from the judges and don't say anything.'
Mark Benton is an actor from Waterloo Road and has said that he has been waking up at 6am with cold sweats. Benton, who has been starring as Edna Turnblad in a touring production of the Hairspray musical, said: 'I must remain positive and keep my fear under wraps. It's nice to try and learn a skill and maybe get a bit fitter too, which is another great reason to take part.'
Natalie Gumede, 29, is best known for playing Kirsty Soames in Coronation Street - a role which won her two gongs at the Soap Awards. She said she wants a dance partner with "a sense of fun" and admitted she is too nervous to plan her approach, saying: 'No, I'm far too terrified for that, I just want to enjoy it. I want to try as hard as I can, do as many weeks as I can and just enjoy every minute.'
Patrick Robinson, 49, played charge nurse Martin "Ash" Ashford for more than six years on medical drama Casualty. In 2013, 17 years after leaving the drama, he returned to the series as a doctor. He said: 'When I was very young I would say my dancing skills were like a 7 or 8.5, not bad - I could try my hand at everything. Now you are looking at a 4 or 5, so if I get anything above a 6 I will be very chuffed.'
Rachel Riley, 27, is the Countdown maths whizz and has starred in more than 1,000 episodes of the Channel 4 show. She said she could not resist the chance to learn how to dance with a professional, saying: 'As my friends know, I'm really clumsy and I have never been graceful in my life so maybe now is the time to start.'
Sophie Ellis-Bextor, 34, whose mother Janet Ellis is a former Blue Peter presenter, enjoyed chart success with Murder On The Dancefloor during her time as a singer. She said that her plan is to get into character to perform, saying: 'If I thought of me as 'the me at home' doing the dancing, it would be so scary and ridiculous.'
Susanna Reid, 42, is a BBC Breakfast host and is no stranger to the dancefloor having performed in the 2011 Children In Need newsreaders challenge. She said she enjoys the "thrill" of dancing but is terrified of forgetting her steps, saying: 'The thing I am most scared about is forgetting the moves. I don't want to train and train and then forget everything.'
Tony Jacklin, 69, is a former golfer and is a legend in the game having been Ryder Cup captain four times. Now retired, he uses his expertise to design courses around the world. He admits the show takes him into new territory but hopes his love of music will help, saying: 'Music has been a big part of my life, all my life, and maybe that'll work in a positive way.'
Vanessa Feltz, 51, is a TV presenter and has been a regular on television and radio for years including an appearance on Celebrity Big Brother. She said she "can't dance at all" and hopes the judges will appreciate her hard work, adding: 'I'd like them to say that I tried hard and that I mastered the dance and that I don't look like a fool.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2408912/Strictly-Come-Dancing-2013-Sophie-Ellis-Bextor-Abbey-Crouch-Rachel-Riley-lead-glamour-line-announced.html#ixzz2dlbHyiM9
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