Karen Carney and Kristian Nairn are the final celebrities to be confirmed for this year’s Strictly Come Dancing.
Radio 2 revealed the identities of both the former Lioness and the Game of Thrones star on Friday morning during Vernon Kay’s show.
Retired footballer Karen told stand-in host Gary Davies: “I’m so excited. I retired from football six years ago so this is very new to me. I’m very excited!”
Actor Kristian said it is an “honour” for him to appear, adding that he is looking forward to wearing sparkly outfits.
Karen and Kristian complete the Strictly Come Dancing line-up 2025.
Strictly Come Dancing: Who is Karen Carney?
Karen Carney, 38, is a former professional women’s footballer. During her career, she played for Birmingham City and Arsenal.
The sportswoman made her debut for England in 2005. She has 144 caps for her country, has competed in four World Cups and played in the Olympics at London 2012.
Karen retired from football six years ago. She has since worked as a football pundit for Sky Sports and CBS Sports.
Kristian Nairn on Strictly
Kristian Nairn is an actor from Northern Ireland. He is best known for playing Hodor in Game of Thrones. He portrayed the part for six seasons of the hugely successful TV show.
Omg we actually got a Lioness this year!
The 49 year old is also famed for playing Wee John Feeney on the HBO Max series Our Flag Means Death. Kristian is also a professional music DJ. He was previously the resident DJ of Kremlin, a gay club in Belfast.
Viewers react
Strictly fans appear to think it’s the best line-up the show has ever had. Posting on Instagram, one viewer commented: “No this line-up is sensational.” “This season is epic!” declared another.
Reacting to Karen signing up, one said: “Omg we actually got a Lioness this year!” One of Kristian’s fans added: “Omg that’s awesome!”
Strictly 2025 – the complete line-up
The BBC has now confirmed all 15 celebrities for Strictly Come Dancing 2025. The final three names were announced on Friday morning.
TV showbiz journalist Ross King was revealed first on ITV’s Lorraine. Karen and Kristian’s announcements followed very quickly after on Radio 2.
On Thursday, Apprentice star Thomas Skinner was confirmed for Strictly during the Breakfast Show on Hits Radio. Reality star Vicky Pattison was then unveiled during ITV’s This Morning, before Neighbours legend Stefan Dennis also made his appearance on the show to confirm his signing.
Gladiator Nitro – real name Harry Aikines-Aryeete – was the first celebrity for Strictly 2025 to be announced at the beginning of the week. The professional athlete was followed by ER and Doctor Who actress Alex Kingston, Love Islander Dani Dyer and retired football Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.
EastEnders’ Balvinder Sopal has also been confirmed for the 2025 series. Balvinder joins social media influencer George Clarke. Drag Race UK’s La Voix and rugby legend Chris Robshaw were next to be announced. The BBC then confirmed model and actress Ellie Goldstein for the line-up.
Read more: Meet Strictly star George Clarke’s famous dad – and it’s NOT the architect!
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