Tattooed hunk eyed for Strictly Come Dancing as execs whittle down celebs

Reality star is on the ’s wishlist. Show bosses are keen to get the 34-year-old tattooed TV hunk in sequins for the next series of the hit show, we can reveal.

The former star has caught their eye as they pull together a list of big names for later this year. A source said: “He’s a proper character with a very interesting background that looks the part. He would be a great addition to the Strictly line up. He’s presented a couple of shows and has really impressed.” Insiders say execs work from a list of around 30 names before whittling it down to the final 15.

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Former footballer Ashley rose to fame on the dating show in 2014. He later went out with dental nurse Safiyya Vorajee and the couple had daughter Azaylia. The baby tragically died aged just eight months in 2021 after being diagnosed with a rare form of leukaemia. The pair split the following year.

Ashley has since campaigned in his daughter’s memory, setting up the Azaylia Foundation, which calls for advancing early diagnosis and new treatment availability in the UK, while at the same time supporting children fighting cancer.

Ashley has said he would love to take part in Strictly as a tribute to Azaylia.

“Me and my family are known for dancing,” he said previously to The Sun. “That’s what we do. When I had my daughter in hospital, when she was poorly, any time that she used to be feeling poorly or she was going through a chemotherapy, I used to hold her in my arms and I used to dance with her. And I’d dance with her for hours and hours and hours and hours.

"So something like Strictly would relate to me in a sense where I would love to do a Lion King-themed dance. I would love to be able to tell my story on such an amazing platform that could reach out to so many incredible people.”

Ashley’s gone on to front two BBC shows – Go Hard or Go Home, an adrenaline-fuelled fitness challenge series, and Into The Danger Zone, where he visits some of the ’s most dangerous cities to explore the issues that affect young men.

He’s now dad to sons Aliyas, one, and four-month-old Atlas.

, 35, has been named as another celeb wanted for the upcoming series.

The former star is in the BBC fold with her reality series Stacey & Joe, which has seen her and husband open the doors to their home for a show about their family life.

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