A social media football content creator from Newcastle, County Down, has been announced as the 14th celebrity for the 2026 series of Strictly Come Dancing.

John Nellis, who amassed more than 15 million followers on YouTube, left his job as an air traffic controller to pursue content creation full-time. His videos have featured some of football’s biggest names, including Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Erling Haaland, with one Haaland video alone garnering over 13 million views.

Last year he won the sport creator of the year award at the 2024 TikTok Awards for the UK and Ireland.

Speaking about joining the BBC One programme, he admitted he has never danced before and said he was nervous but saw it as an incredible opportunity. He intends to fully commit to learning the new skill and hopes it will improve his performance at family gatherings.

He will appear alongside a cast that includes actors Lacey Turner and Jaime Winstone, TV personality Dani Dyer, singer Delta Goodrem, and Paralympic athlete Dame Sarah Storey, among others.

Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One and iPlayer in September.