Who is Richie Anderson? Meet the Strictly Come Dancing 2022 contestant who is set to get a male partner on the show

Strictly Come Dancing is back with another season that will set the BBC One stage on fire. The show has announced its lineup and fans are excited. Gracing the stage this season are celebrities everyone admires.

One such celebrity set to grace the stage is Richie Anderson. Known for his work on BBC Radio 2’s Breakfast show, he is now set to switch things up and appear on the BBC during nights on the dance show.

Joining Anderson on stage will be other presenters, footballers, actors and a Paralympian. The milestone season will feature a cast of 15 celebrities in total.

IMDb’s description of Strictly Come Dancing reads:

"Celebrities team up with choreographers to compete in a ballroom and Latin dance competition."

The show is set to premiere on September 23 at 2 pm ET/7 pm BST on BBC One. The show was previously set to air on September 17 but out of respect for The Queen’s passing, it was postponed.

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Richie Anderson will be part of the second ever male couple to compete on Strictly Come Dancing

Anderson is not new to the BBC network. The award-winning presenter is part of BBC’s Breakfast Show where he provides travel bulletins and has even hosted his own radio shows.

The presenter, who is set to appear on Strictly Come Dancing, is a former Sunday League footballer who played for Coombs Wood F.C. The 35-year-old opened up about his sexuality to his teammates in 2018. He appeared in a special segment addressing homophobia in soccer on The One Show and came out to his teammates during filming. After the match, he sat down with his team and spoke to them about why the segment meant so much to him.

He said:

"I’m a gay footballer. So I just want to be open and honest with you lads, it’s just been class and this is really hard for me to do."

Anderson was interrupted as his teammates began applauding and congratulating him. A member of his team told The One Show that “Richie is Richie.”

He further said:

"It doesn’t matter who you are, what color, what race, what sexuality you are. You’re a player from this team and that’s it."

The BBC regular is now set to appear on Strictly Come Dancing as the second ever male couple to compete on the show, and while there is no clarification about who his partner will be, the Strictly fan and contestant is excited. In a statement, Richie expressed his excitement about being on the show.

He said:

"This is a dream come true! I cannot wait to get in those sparkles and sequins and shimmy across the most famous dance floor in the world. It’s also a massive honour to be a part of an all-male dance partnership, it’s so important we have that inclusion on such a huge show."

Richie recently received some tips from RuPaul Drag Race judge and former Strictly contestant, Michelle Visage, as she appeared on BBC Radio 2. He asked her for a piece of advice before he goes on stage.

Michelle said:

"Do not vogue."

The two then joked about her time on the show and her vogue performance, and Richie told her that he “loved it.” Michelle said:

"I guess the British public didn’t."

Other celebrities set to appear on Strictly Come Dancing Season 20 are Kaye Adams, Kim Marsh, Ellie Simmonds, Tyler West, Matt Goss, Ellie Taylor, Molly Rainford, Tony Adams, Will Mellor, Jayde Adams, Fleur East, Hamza Yassin, James Bye, and Helen Skelton.