Ex-Prem and EFL player turned manager/coach Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink reportedly signs up for the upcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing.
The 53-year-old is set to join the show, a year on from leaving his role with England’s coaching team following their Euro 2024 final loss to Spain.
Hasselbaink will now compete with other celebrity names for the Glitterball trophy, following other former footballers like Tony Adams and Paul Merson who have in recent years appeared on the show.
Known for his Premier League fanbase and likability, Hasselbaink’s competitive nature is expected to draw football fans to the series.
Football legend Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink ‘latest star to be signed for Strictly 2025’https://t.co/z0hDmOeM8b pic.twitter.com/rOsqyTTPHD
— Mirror TV (@MirrorTV) June 21, 2025
Other former footballers to have appeared on the show include Peter Schmeichel, John Barnes, Peter Shilton, Robbie Savage, David James, Alex Scott and Chris Kamara (Sport Relief).
A TV source said: “Jimmy has a huge fanbase from his years playing in the Premier League and is a very likeable character.
“Show producers are always keen to book a retired footballer as it gets footie fans tuning into the series and becoming unlikely fans of the show.
“Jimmy has a competitive edge and is going to get his head in the game.”
A BBC spokesman said: “We don’t comment on speculation.”
Others rumoured to be on this year’s show: Sir Mo Farah, Stacey Solomon, Georgia Toffolo, Ashley Cain, Thomas Skinner, Dani Dyer, Tayce, Craig Rowe, Helen Flanagan, Angellica Bell, Tom Parker Bowles, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey (Nitro), Mike Tindall and Zara Tindall.
Schmeichel, who turned 43 the day of his departure from the show, said to the BBC that bad things often happen on his birthday.
He said: “I have no luck on my birthdays. I once missed World Cup qualification on my birthday. I’m used to it.”
John Barnes said after being voted off: “I could have lasted another week. But it was difficult spending three or four days in London to learn the routine and then getting back home.
“And from this week the contestants are having to learn two dances, so that would have been more difficult still getting the hours in and getting home to see my family.
“If I go to a party, I’ll always be up on the floor. I love dancing, but this was completely different.”
“I have been offered other reality shows before, like Big Brother, but I can’t see the point of sitting in a house doing nothing and the kids said I would embarrass them.
“With Strictly Come Dancing the kids love it so there was no problem there, and I wanted to get fit and lose weight and I needed something to push me. This was that something.
“I have lost one and a half stones and I feel fitter and look slimmer.
“I didn’t enjoy the ballroom, but I enjoyed the Latin American and the experience. It’s a great show which really captures the public imagination.
“You don’t need the greatest celebs, the show is the star. This has got the X-factor, regardless of who is on it.
“It’s watching people do something that is totally alien to them, get out of their comfort zone, learn a new skill and perform live in front of 20 million people.
“There’s drama and emotion.
“Learning the routines was hard.
“Physically I knew it was going to be tough, but I felt sorry for the professional dancers when we took four or five hours a day for several days learning a routine they could pick up in an hour.”
Robbie Savage said of his Strictly experience: “It’s just been everything, you know. People didn’t know who I was before I came to this show, I wasn’t a nice person on the football pitch and hopefully I’ve changed people’s perceptions of me. I am just a normal, decent guy.”
He also did a routine in tribute to his friend Gary Speed, who died the week before.
David James said on whether he’d enjoyed his time on the show, he responded: “Oh I’ve loved it. I feel so bad I’ve let Nadiya down.”
He said the best parts had been: “Having the best partner and the guys up there. Everyone’s lovely. Just a word to Will: I think I work hard, but, man, that guy puts a shift in.”
In contrast to what contestants usually say about Strictly’s effect on seeing them lose weight, he confessed: “I’ve enjoyed it, but I’ve put some weight on.”
