Lewis Cope has been confirmed as Kristian Nairn’s replacement for the upcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing. 

The Emmerdale actor was announced as Strictly’s newest celebrity after Game of Thrones actor Kristian withdrew from the show on medical grounds.

His big reveal was unveiled during tonight’s episode of BBC’s The One Show. It came just hours after Kristian confirmed he had pulled out of the 2025 series.

Following the announcement, Lewis said: “I’m so excited to be swapping the Dales for the dance floor and joining this year’s Strictly Come Dancing. I’ve always been a fan of the show and cannot wait to get started!”

Strictly Come Dancing 2025: Who is Lewis Cope?

Lewis Cope is a British actor who trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. He gained widespread recognition playing Nicky Milligan, the live‑in nanny in ITV’s long-running soap Emmerdale, a role he held from late 2022 into 2024.

For his role, he was nominated for the Rising Star Award at the 2023 National Television Awards, as well as Best Newcomer at the Inside Soap Awards.

Lewis’ other noteworthy roles include appearances in Mrs Sidhu Investigates, Vera and Doctors.

Kristian’s Strictly exit

Just last week, Kristian Nairn was one of the final two celebrities to be announced for Strictly Come Dancing 2025. He described it as an “honour”.

The actor, from Northern Ireland, is best known for playing Hodor in Game of Thrones. He portrayed the part for six seasons of the hugely successful TV show.

Kristian also portrayed Wee John Feeney on the HBO Max series Our Flag Means Death, and he is a professional music DJ. He was previously the resident DJ of Kremlin, a gay club in Belfast.

But confirming his withdrawal on Thursday afternoon, Kristian said: “With a heavy heart, I have to step back from this season of Strictly Come Dancing due to unexpected medical reasons.

“I was truly looking forward to the journey, and I’m deeply sorry to disappoint anyone who was looking forward to seeing me on the dance floor. Thank you all for your support, and I will be back on my feet very soon, in every sense. Love to all, Kristian.”

Confirming his withdrawal, Sarah James, Executive Producer for BBC Studios, said: “We’ve absolutely loved getting to know Kristian in this short time, and he has all the makings of a brilliant Strictly Come Dancing contestant.

“We’re incredibly sorry to lose him from this year’s series and we all wish him a speedy recovery.”

The full celebrity line-up

Last week, the BBC confirmed 15 celebrities for Strictly Come Dancing 2025. The final three names were announced on Friday morning, including Kristian’s.

Gladiator Nitro – real name Harry Aikines-Aryeete – was the first celebrity to be announced for Strictly 2025. 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 was next to be confirmed for the 2025 series. Balvinder joins social media influencer George Clarke. Drag Race UK’s La Voix and rugby legend Chris Robshaw were also announced. The BBC then confirmed model and actress Ellie Goldstein for the line-up.

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.

TV showbiz journalist Ross King was revealed during Friday’s episode of ITV’s Lorraine. Footballer Karen Carney and Kristian’s announcements followed very quickly after on Radio 2. They had completed the line-up.

Judges and professionals

All of this year’s Strictly Come Dancing pro dancers have been confirmed by the BBC and are raring to go. They include the usual Strictly favourites, including Aljaz Skorjanec, Amy Dowden, Vito Coppola and Johannes Radebe.

There are also two new pros joining the dancing line-up in 2025; Alexis Warr and Julian Caillon. American dancer Alexis has already appeared on So You Think You Can Dance? and Dancing With The Stars. Julian, from Australia, has appeared on the show’s counterparts Down Under, too.

Gorka Marquez has announced he will miss a big chunk of this year’s series. Gorka will also be without a celebrity partner for 2025.

The dancer has a clash of schedules after being given a job on the Spanish version of Strictly, called Bailando Con Las Estrella. It means he will only be able to pre-record the group dances for Strictly UK and then bow out until later in the series.

The judging panel is remaining the same for 2025. Shirley Ballas will be back as Head Judge, sitting alongside Anton Du Beke, Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse.

When does Strictly Come Dancing start?

BBC Breakfast confirmed last week that this year’s Strictly Come Dancing will kick off on Saturday September 20. Last year’s pre-recorded launch show aired six days earlier on September 14, with the first live show following the week after.

This year’s series will air every Saturday in the run up to Christmas. The dreaded results show airs on a Sunday night. The 2024 finale aired on December 14. Last year, Chris McCausland and his professional partner Dianne Buswell scooped the Glitterball Trophy.

Read more: Best entertainment shows coming this autumn including I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!

Strictly Come Dancing starts on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Saturday September 20, 2025.