Jodie Ounsley joins Strictly Christmas as the third celebrity confirmed for the festive special
Jodie Ounsley, known to millions as Fury from the revived series Gladiators, has been confirmed as the third celebrity contestant for the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special. The announcement arrived on Strictly It Takes Two, where it was revealed that she will appear on the festive edition of the show alongside her professional dance partner, Neil Jones. Her involvement continues her growing presence in sport, entertainment and broadcasting.
Ounsley expressed excitement at taking part and described the invitation as something that means a great deal to her. She said she felt absolutely buzzing to join the Christmas special and highlighted how significant it felt to be the first female rugby player to appear on the festive show. She added that she could not wait to take on a challenge very different from the physical demands of rugby, noting with humour that she is used to smashing into people rather than learning ballroom routines.
Born profoundly deaf, Ounsley received a cochlear implant as a child and was one of the youngest people in the United Kingdom to undergo the procedure at the time. Her sporting journey has been shaped by a determination to break barriers and to show what is possible within elite sport for deaf athletes. Her rugby career included spells with Loughborough Lightning, Sale Sharks Women and Exeter Chiefs Women before she announced her retirement in April 2024. In 2019, she became the first deaf female to play for a senior England rugby side and also the world’s first deaf female international rugby sevens player.
Her achievements extend far beyond rugby. Ounsley is a British Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion and is known for her success in the World Coal Carrying Championships. This unusual discipline brought her a Guinness World Record for recording the fastest fifty-metre sprint while carrying a twenty-kilogram coal bag. Her competitive drive later expanded into broadcasting while she worked as an interviewer for the BBC at the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2024. She also contributed to coverage of the previous Paralympic Games on Channel 4. In addition to this, she has written two books with Becky Grey and has spoken publicly about deaf representation and accessibility.
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Her move into television entertainment reached a wider audience with her role as Fury in the BBC reboot of Gladiators. Her performances quickly made her a popular figure with viewers and demonstrated her ability to adapt to large-scale productions. Her participation in the Strictly Christmas Special marks another step in her growing public profile.
The upcoming Christmas Special will feature six couples competing for the coveted Strictly Christmas Champion title. Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman will host the programme for the final time, and the judging panel will include Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke. The studio audience will decide the winner, and the show promises a festive atmosphere filled with group dances, live music and seasonal performances.
Ounsley joins Scarlett Moffatt and Melanie Blatt as part of the growing celebrity line-up for the festive programme. The remaining participants will be revealed throughout the week on Strictly It Takes Two. The Christmas Special remains a staple of the holiday schedule and is produced by BBC Studios for broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
This year’s edition is overseen by Executive Producer Sarah James with Kim Allinson serving as Series Editor. The show was commissioned by Kalpna Patel Knight, the Head of Entertainment at the BBC, with Jo Wallace acting as Senior Commissioning Editor. The festive instalment aims to deliver a winter-themed spectacle complete with glittering costumes and a celebratory atmosphere for viewers.