Angela Scanlon excited to learn ‘grossly uncomfortable’ rumba on Strictly Come Dancing

By Ellie Iorizzo, PA Senior Entertainment Reporter

Irish TV presenter Angela Scanlon has said she is particularly looking forward to learning how to dance the rumba on Strictly Come Dancing despite the possibility that it will be “grossly uncomfortable for me and everybody watching”.

The 39-year-old, who is the only woman in the UK and Ireland to have their own Saturday night chat show with Ask Me Anything on RTÉ One, is one of 15 contestants taking to the dancefloor on the BBC’s flagship show in a bid to lift the glitterball trophy.

The launch episode of this year’s competition, which was filmed last week but will not air until Saturday, saw the celebrity contestants matched with their professional counterparts ahead of the live shows on BBC One.

Scanlon said: “This interim period of being announced to waiting for a partner was excruciating, and then you’re kind of in this limbo where you’re neither on nor off, so I think we’re all quite relieved to get (a partner).”

The TV star, born in Co Meath, said she is excited to learn how to dance the rumba on the show.

“In the vein of leaning into things that are uncomfortable, I feel like the rumba will be grossly uncomfortable for me and everybody watching… going right to the edge of discomfort, so I’m here to learn,” she told PA.

The sensual, rhythmic routine is notoriously tricky and known for often putting competitors into the dreaded dance-off.

Asked how she felt when she got the initial call to appear on the much-loved show, Scanlon said: “For me, I think my mentality is usually ‘Say yes, figure it out later’.

“And so there’s been a bit of maybe blindly agreeing and then realising just how much is involved and how exposed I actually feel.”

Scanlon, who described her Strictly competitors as a “gorgeous bunch”, follows in the footsteps of other Irish famous faces who have graced the famous dancefloor, including garden designer Diarmuid Gavin, who took part in the second series of the show.

Singers Gloria Hunniford and Daniel O’Donnell have also featured, as well as TV presenter Laura Whitmore and Mrs Brown’s Boys actress Jennifer Gibney.

Raised in Ratoath, Scanlon’s TV credits include a one-off documentary for RTÉ 2 about growing up ginger-haired in Ireland, entitled Oi Ginger!, as well as co-hosting BBC Two’s Robot Wars with comedian Dara O’Briain and the channel’s Your Home Made Perfect series.

The One Show presenter, who married businessman Roy Horgan in 2014 and has two daughters, is also a published author and host of positivity podcast Thanks A Million.

In 2022, she published her part-memoir, part-self-help book Joyrider, which charts her own journey into the world of self-development – dipping into the anxiety and imposter syndrome she grappled with throughout her teens and 20s, and the bulimia she lived with for 15 years.

Strictly Come Dancing returns to screens on Saturday, September 16th on BBC One and will be judged by Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke, Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse.

Last year, the competition was won by British wildlife presenter Hamza Yassin and professional dancer Jowita Przystal.