BBC News Presenter Kate Silverton joins Strictly Come Dancing 2018

BBC News presenter Kate Silverton will be a celebrity contestant on this year’s Strictly Come Dancing.

“I’m excited to confirm that I will be swapping the newsroom for the ballroom and joining this year’s wonderful Strictly family,” said Kate

“It’s something of a departure for a news journalist, shifting focus from the headlines to my hemlines and I suspect the only serious element of my life over the coming months will be in training hard and figuring out the foxtrot… but I am so looking forward to the fun, laughter and all the challenges ahead.”

Silverton is one of the most popular and accomplished broadcasters in the country. She is a main presenter for BBC News across the One, Six and Ten o’clock programmes.

An extremely experienced journalist she has reported from the frontline in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

Her experience of motherhood has encouraged a return to her academic roots in child psychology and she now combines her journalism with her passion for raising awareness about mental health issues relevant to both children and adults.

The 16th series of the NTA and Bafta award-winning entertainment will return in the autumn on BBC One, where kate will be joined by Ashley Roberts, Stacey Dooley, Dr Ranj Singh, Graeme Swann, Vick Hope, Joe Sugg, Danny John-Jules, Faye Tozer and Katie Piper.