[www.mirror.co.uk]

One mature female WILL take part in Strictly Come Dancing after Lynda Bellingham signed up for the show.

The actress - best known for her role on ITV's Loose Women and in the 80s Oxo ads - has agreed to appear after discussions last week.

And, at 61, bosses hope her appearance will help defuse the current ageism row surrounding the show.

Fans are furious after judge Arlene Phillips, 66, and the oldest female dancer Karen Hardy, 39, were both axed from the show. And many viewers fear it is being rebranded to try to appeal to more youthful viewers.

A show source said: "Lynda is a great signing and hopefully her appearance helps to illustrate that there is no age bias.

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"We want a fresh and varied line-up and we know Lynda would be a handful.

"Having seen her on Loose Women, she will give as good as she gets if things get heated in training or in front of the judges."

A number of other female contestants rumoured to be taking part include Footballers' Wives actresses Zoe Lucker, 34, and Laila Rouass, 32, who played love rivals on the drama.
And Jo Wood, the dumped wife of Rolling Stone Ronnie, is also believed to be in talks to take part.

Other women previously linked to the new BBC1 series include EastEnders stars Kara Tointon and Natalie Cassidy.

Crimewatch presenter Rav Wilding, 31, is also tipped to be one of the 16 contestants as well as middleweight boxing champ Joe Calzaghe.

The show begins next month.

Good luck to Jo. Hope she wins. The pic of her in the UK press yesterday was fantastic.

Ronnie Wood's estranged wife Jo in talks for Strictly stint

[www.hellomagazine.com]


Jo Wood, the estranged wife of rock legend Ronnie Wood, has been approached to compete in the forthcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing, according to reports.

The 53-year-old, who made headlines last year with her split from Rolling Stone Ronnie, is believed to be among the 16 celebrity contestants due to show off their fancy footwork.

"Jo is in fantastic shape, looks amazing and is going to be brilliant," a source close to the glamorous blonde says.

It is believed that champion boxer Joe Calzaghe, Footballers’ Wives star Zoe Lucker and hunky Crimewatch presenter Rav Wilding will also be competing.

The show's long-awaited seventh series hits the screens this autumn.

Quote
Silver Dagger
Good luck to Jo. Hope she wins. The pic of her in the UK press yesterday was fantastic.

[www.newsoftheworld.co.uk]

[www.dailymail.co.uk]

[www.mirror.co.uk]

Fern Britton is set to twirl her way back into the hearts of watching millions on Strictly Come Dancing.

The former host of ITV’s This Morning is locked in talks to make a sensational TV comeback on the hit BBC1 show.

She impressed viewers with her Singing in The Rain routine for Comic Relief in March. And as an added lure to take to the dance floor again Fern, 52, has been offered Kiwi lothario Brendan Cole as her Strictly dance partner.

And we can also reveal that former EastEnders star Ricky Groves, who played mechanic Garry Hobbs, has agreed to take part as has Hollyoaks heart-throb, Ricky Whittle.

A studio source said: “Fern is a major coup.

“Producers have been wooing her for some time but it is only in the last few days talks have really progressed. Brendan was lined-up to dance with Jo Wood but now bosses have offered him to Fern as bait. Fern is bound to get lots of attention and they believe he’s the guy most equipped to handle it.

“Another incentive for Fern, of course, is that she’s bound to lose yet more weight, and will be offered a host of magazine and TV deals. She is a natural in front of the camera and will charm viewers.” Fern’s appearance on the show – as it goes head to head with The X Factor on ITV – is sure to give Strictly a massive ratings boost.

The seventh series of the prime time ballroom dancing show starting next month, is the most controversial to date.

The BBC incurred accusations of ageism after axing 66-year-old judge, Arlene Phillips, and replacing her with former winner, Alesha Dixon who is 36 years her junior.

The oldest female dancer Karen Hardy, 39, was also axed from the programme. Other stars already said to be signed up for the new series – won last year by actor Tom Chambers – are Lynda Bellingham, Footballers’ Wives star Laila Rouass along with Crimewatch presenter Rav Wilding.

BBC bosses are said to be keen to attract a younger viewer this year to rival X Factor’s popularity with the 16-30 market.

As part of the revamp, several big name artists, including Amy Winehouse, are lined up to perform on the show.

Ironically, with actress Lynda, Ronnie Woods ex-wife Jo and Fern in the line-up, much of the programme’s focus will be on older contestants.

Whilst the BBC refuses to discuss salaries, it is understood all celebrities receive a flat fee of £30,000 per series.

Previous show winners include Natasha Kaplinsky, Jill Halfpenny and Darren Gough.

Jo Wood is confirmed, today, as one of the celebrity dancers in this year's 'Strictly Come Dancing'.
Her partner is 'the bad boy of the dancefloor' Brendan Cole

[www.bbc.co.uk]

Hands up how many will now be watching SCD for the first time because there is a tenuous Stones connection. I mean, it's not as if Charlie will be dancing with Lilia....

By the way, did you know that the British 'celebrity' chef Arthur Potts Dawson is MJ's nephew?

God, I'll be glad when the new YaYas is out, this celebrity stuff gets on my strings!


Meanwhile, I was STILL thinkin'..........

...... Wilder if the female Glimmer Twins Anita & Marianne did Strictly ....



ROCKMAN

[www.telegraph.co.uk]




Strictly Come Dancing: Jo Wood surprises Ronnie by signing up


Jo Wood did not tell her estranged husband, Rolling Stone guitarist Ronnie Wood, that she had signed up for Strictly Come Dancing.

Jo Wood said appearing on the show is "like a dream come true" Photo: BBC
“He doesn’t know. I’m sure he’ll know tomorrow,” she said with a grin at yesterday’s BBC launch.

The 54-year-old former model faced humiliation last year when Wood ran off with Ekaterina Ivanova, a teenage cocktail waitress.

Explaining her decision to appear on Strictly Come Dancing, the very glamorous grandmother said: “I wouldn’t be doing this if I was still with Ronnie. Now I’m doing things with my life I never dreamed of doing.

“I took it on as a challenge, really. That, and the fact I love dancing. For me to be able to learn how to dance is like a dream come true. I want my kids to be proud of me. I’m saying, ‘Yeah, this is me.’ I’m coming out.”

Wood is partnered with Brendan Cole, Strictly’s resident heart-throb, who has previously paired with Natasha Kaplinsky, Kelly Brook and Lisa Snowdon.

“When they said I was with the bad boy of ballroom dancing, I thought, ‘Fabulous!’” Wood said. “I have been around bad boys all my life. Brendan said every Saturday night we’ll all go out after the show.”

Cole appeared awestruck by his new rock chick partner. “The girl is very exciting. The girl is cool,” he said. “She’s got a lifestyle and the image that goes with it. My life pales in comparison to hers. She’s lived a hell of a life. I’m a pussycat compared to what she’s been used to.”

Since the split from her husband after more than 20 years of marriage, Wood has become a regular face on the London social scene, with a circle of friends which includes supermodel Kate Moss. She runs her own business, Jo Wood Organics, and has enjoyed a string of dates.

She said in a recent interview: “I wasn’t going to be broken by my marriage falling apart. When things get rough, Jo gets going. I picked myself up and recycled myself for a whole new life - and the truth is, I think I’m happier now than I ever was before.”

Kingston's Jo Wood to appear on Strictly Come Dancing

[www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk]


Kingston Vale resident and member of rock royalty Jo Wood is one of the latest set of stars to sign up to strut their stuff on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing.

Described as the coolest grandmother in rock ‘n’ roll, Mrs Wood will attempt to pick up the cha-cha, tango and samba alongside legendary dancer Brendan Cole in the next series of the show starting in September.

The former model, who married Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie in 1985, has become famous in her own right after starting her own business selling organic beauty products designed at her Kingston home.

She said: “I love a good challenge and thought this is perhaps as challenging as it gets.

“Once I accepted I went straight to the internet and viewed some of the more famous dances that have taken place on previous seasons. I thought oh my God, what have I let myself in for here?”

Mrs Wood said she was definitely aiming to win the show with partner Cole, who came first with newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky in the original series of the show and finished third last year with model Lisa Snowdon.

She said: “Watching that footage made me very nervous actually and so I had to stop myself.

“Everybody on the show looks as if they have such a happy and enjoyable time, whether they’re on that dance floor or chatting with each other backstage.

“I’m really looking forward to being involved.”

Terrible television!

It needs a less tenuous Stones connection before I will bring myself to watch this drivel passes for entertainment.

Quote
Stargroves
It needs a less tenuous Stones connection before I will bring myself to watch this drivel passes for entertainment.

X Factor fan ?

No!

TV's only been on for sport and for a couple of dvds all summer, it's all tripe.

and there i was, thinking you were a Louis Walsh fan

Will she be nude? And dancing to Stones hits?

........



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-08-27 14:27 by 1cdog.

Who?

Quote
Adrian-L
and there i was, thinking you were a Louis Walsh fan

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Big Al
Terrible television!

True - but a high totty factor, it has to be said.

good for her. i think she is hot !

Quote
Elmo
Hands up how many will now be watching SCD for the first time because there is a tenuous Stones connection. I mean, it's not as if Charlie will be dancing with Lilia....

By the way, did you know that the British 'celebrity' chef Arthur Potts Dawson is MJ's nephew?

God, I'll be glad when the new YaYas is out, this celebrity stuff gets on my strings!


Meanwhile, I was STILL thinkin'..........

My hands are in the air like I just don't care! ><

My wife loves this programme and I hate it. I'm sure she'll be delighted that we've found a common interest after all these years

I think I've bust a button on my trousers....

OK, I'm comin' out. I am a ballroom dancer.

But, I'm fed up with the same old hyped up s**t, same ageing frontman doing the same act he's done for the last 50 years, a glitzy stage trying to hide the fact that we are seeing the same stuff as last time. Nothing new, just the same money spinning formula.

Am I talking about Strictly, or the Stones last tour?

Confessin the blues....

[www.dailymail.co.uk]

Wood pleased with "bad boy" Brendan

[www.digitalspy.co.uk]

By Alex Fletcher, Senior Entertainment Reporter


Rex Features
Jo Wood has revealed that she was very pleased to be paired with "bad boy" Brendan Cole on Strictly Come Dancing.

The ex-wife of Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood admitted that Cole was the only professional dancer she knew from the show.

"Because of his bad-boy image, he was the only one I had heard of," she told DS. "I only hang out with bad boys!"

Cole, who won series one of the BBC dance contest, joked: "When have I ever been a good boy? No seriously, I don't think I really match up to her bad boys. I'm like a pussycat in comparison."

Wood, who admitted that she had learned how to waltz at the age of 12, also revealed that her main reason for competing on the show is to impress her family.

"I wanted a good challenge and I want to make my family proud," she said. "My daughter woke me up this morning in my bed to make sure I made it in time to training!"

Strictly returns on Friday, September 18 on BBC One.

[www.thesun.co.uk]

STRICTLY star Jo Wood is so desperate to win the show she's getting performance tips from Mick Jagger.
The ex-model, 53, has been chasing her ex-hubby Ronnie's flamboyant bandmate for advice on how to shine in the contest.

Jo is said to be ultra-competitive and wants to gain an advantage over younger rivals such as The Bill's Ali Bastian and ex-EastEnder Natalie Cassidy, both 26.


A BBC1 insider explained: "Jo's been after some performance tips from Mick Jagger.

"She knows that he's got lots of experience as a showman and she really wants to make sure she dazzles in the competition.

"So who better than the Rolling Stones' frontman for some advice?

"The pair are pals and she's really keen to do her best on Strictly."

Jo, who is partnered with hunk Brendan Cole, has been pushing herself hard by practising the dances for hours on end - which has left her with painful feet.

The insider added: "It's especially hard work as each couple have to do two dances this year.


"There have been a lot of blisters."

The mum of four was married to Stones guitarist Ronnie, 62 - whose hits include Sympathy For The Devil - for 23 years before being dumped for 20-year-old Ekaterina Ivanova.

Jo, who admits she would never have got the chance to take part in the show if not for the split, reportedly waltzed off with an £11.5million lump sum, a £12million home in Kingston, South-West London, plus a monthly allowance in an out-of-court divorce settlement.

Now she wants to prove she can stand on her own two feet by winning the show, starting Friday September 18 at 9.30pm on BBC1.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-09-04 16:20 by Adrian-L.

The UK press is reporting that Jo Wood is seeking dance lessons from Mick in advance of her appearance on Strictly Come Dancing.

The story is in The Sun so take it with a pinch of salt....but you never know!

[www.thesun.co.uk]

[www.dailymail.co.uk]

Strictly bawlroom: Jo Wood's row with partner Brendan Cole ends in tears

By Paul Revoir
It's enough to make anyone howl in frustration.
Not only is Jo Wood going through a painful divorce from her husband Ronnie but she also has to become a ballroom dancer on the hop.
No wonder the 54-year-old broke down after a long rehearsal for Strictly Come Dancing on Friday.



She was spotted wiping away tears outside a studio in West London - alongside dance partner Brendan Cole, 33.
New Zealander Cole, known as a tough taskmaster, appeared to be bearing the brunt of her tantrum.

An insider on the BBC1 show said: 'The first show is only two weeks away and there is enormous pressure on all the celebrities.
'Clearly Jo Wood is worried that her dancing is not up to scratch



Wood was unveiled one of the 16 celebrities taking part in the upcoming seventh series two weeks ago.
She admitted she hadn't even told her estranged husband Ronnie before she was announced at a contestant.
The 54-year-old said: 'He doesn’t know. I’m sure he’ll know tomorrow...
The former model enthused: 'I wouldn’t be doing this if I was still with Ronnie. Now I’m doing things with my life I never dreamed of doing.


'I took it on as a challenge, really. That, and the fact I love dancing. For me to be able to learn how to dance is like a dream come true. I want my kids to be proud of me. I’m saying, "Yeah, this is me." I’m coming out.
'When they said I was with (Cole) the bad boy of ballroom dancing, I thought, "Fabulous!”
'I have been around bad boys all my life. Brendan said every Saturday night we’ll all go out after the show.'

• The new series of Strictly Come Dancing starts on Friday 18 September at 8.30pm

O dear .... them are well tricky are them new fangled steps. as a matter of interest, what particular dances are they working on ? rock n' funkin' roll, cha cha, salsa .... did it say ?

[www.thesun.co.uk]

Wood fired up for Strictly



IF Strictly star Jo Wood is as fiery on the dancefloor as she is off it then expect a sizzling Paso Doble from her and partner Brendan Cole on the BBC show.
The glamorous blonde left rehearsals in a strop AGAIN yesterday. She looked stern faced as she marched ahead of the cocky Kiwi.

It is the second time Jo, 53, has been left fuming after a day with the romeo dancer - who is known to be a perfectionist. Brendan smirked as he followed her like a naughty schoolboy - but didn't miss out on a sly glance at his partner's behind.

Last Friday the former model - who is going through a divorce with her estranged husband, Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood - waved her arms while sobbing hysterically at a sheepish-looking Brendan outside a dance studio.