Tom Dean joins the ranks of other Olympians on Strictly

Tom Dean has become the latest Olympian to sign up for Strictly Come Dancing.

The 24-year-old swimmer broke Strictly protocol by going ahead and announcing his own name for the cast at Paris 2024 on 1 August. After making the final for the men's 200m individual medley, he spoke about his post-Olympic plans. Dean, who won a gold at the Paris Games as part of the 4x200m freestyle relay team, said: "Naturally you want to take a break after you’ve had a full Olympic cycle and the opportunity arose. I thought it would be really exciting to try something a bit different. I’ll be doing that and straight back into training after it. It’s something to look forward to."

He also added that he would be looking to another Team GB swimmer, Adam Peaty who took part in Strictly 2021, for support: "I’ve not seen (Adam Peaty) yet. He did brilliantly on it so I’ll be getting a few tips from him, for sure.”

And Peaty's not the only former member of Team GB Dean could turn to for dancing tips. Here are some of the other Olympic medal winners who have taken to the dance floor on the BBC show in series past.

Roger Black

Roger Black was one of the first ever Olympians to do Strictly back in 2004, in the second series of the show. The Olympic sprinter turned sports pundit was partnered with Camilla Sacre-Dallerup and left in week six.

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Denise Lewis

Dancing in the same series as Roger Black, Olympic heptathlete Denise Lewis was runner-up, dancing with pro Ian Waite.

Colin Jackson

Olympic hurdler Colin Jackson was also first runner-up on the show in series three, dancing with Erin Boag. Jackson was favourite to win, but they took a big risk in the final by dancing with life-sized mannequins attached to their feet, to prove that the athlete could dance out of hold. But the comic idea baffled the judges, dubbed 'Muppetgate', and cricketer Darren Gough took the Glitterball home.

Mark Foster

Olympic swimmer Mark Foster took to the dancefloor in 2008. His professional partner was Hayley Holt. They played the eye-candy card, with Foster flaunting his muscles in skimpy costumes. But he was not so nimble out of the water and left in week six.

Jade Johnson

Jade Johnson was forced to quit the show in 2009 to protect the future of her sports career. The Olympic long Jumper — who was paired with Ian Waite — suffered a bad knee injury that she said included an audible "pop". She said: "I'm a competitor and I don't give up easily so I'm absolutely gutted that it means that I can't continue dancing in the show."

Louis Smith

Gymnast Louis Smith won Strictly 2012 dancing with pro partner Flavia Cacace. Having won a bronze medal for Team GB in the London 2012 Olympics, Smith went on to win the Glitterball later the same year. He and his chest were the undeniable stars of the BBC dance show that year, but the Olympian confessed he found training for the show harder than gymnastics. He retired from gymnastics after Strictly, only to come out of retirement a year later for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. He's dabbled in musicals and in 2021 won the first series of The Masked Dancer as Carwash.

Victoria Pendleton

Cyclist Victoria Pendleton did the dance show the same year as Smith, fresh off the back of her Olympic victory at the velodrome in London. But while she stepped onto the dancefloor with two gold medals, she was not so successful on Strictly. Pendleton was partnered with Brendan Cole and from week five found herself very low on the leader board following the judges scores. But she escaped the dance-off and stayed in until week 8.

Anthony Ogogo

Olympic boxer boxer Anthony Ogogo took part in the show in 2015, the first celebrity to be paired with twice champion pro-dancer Oti Mabuse. He has recently spoken of his frustration at being on the show, admitting he felt under a lot of pressure. He also claimed Strictly bosses made him cover up scars in his shoulder from surgery. He was the second contestant to be sent home

Iwan Thomas

Olympic sprinter Iwan Thomas also took part in 2015, dancing with Ola Jordan and was even less successful, becoming the first contestant t be sent home.

Claudia Fragapane

Artistic gymnast Claudia Fragapane was just 18 when she took part in Strictly in 2016, making her the second youngest contestant to feature on the show. She and partner AJ Pritchard made it to the semi-final. The four-time Commonwealth Games gold medalist said afterwards: "I’m just so happy that I’ve made it this far and everyone has just been incredible. I feel like a different person now, all thanks to this show."

Greg Rutherford

Olympic long jumper Greg Rutherford took part the same year as Fragapane, paired with Natalie Lowe. But he was less successful and went home in week eight.

Jonnie Peacock

Paralympic sprinter Jonnie Peacock took part in the show in 2017 with pro-dancer Oti Mabuse. He made it halfway through and was the eighth contestant to be sent home.

Lauren Steadman

Paralympic paratriathlon silver medalist Steadman was partnered with AJ Pritchard for the 16th series of the dance show. They made it all the way to the semi-final.

Will Bayley

Paralympic table tennis player Will Bayley took part in the show in 2019, partnered with Janette Manrara. But he made the decision to quit the show after he tore his knee ligaments during rehearsals, so as not to jeopardise his chances of competing in the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020.

Bayley has said in an interview in 2024 the injury occurred after Manrara called his jump attempt "rubbish" and made him do it again. Bayley was born with arthrogryposis, which causes curvature of the joints, and meant he could not bend his knees while performing the dance move. A spokesman for Manrara said: "Janette had a great time dancing with Will and one of her favourite moments on the show was doing their contemporary couples choice. Her celebrity partner’s safety and enjoyment was always the priority throughout her time on Strictly."

James Cracknell

Olympic rower James Cracknell also did Strictly in 2019, partnered with Luba Mustuk, but his time on the show was short lived, as he was sent home first. He spoke out to deny rumours he had been angry to learn he had been voted out so early on, and had to be calmed down back stage.

Nicola Adams

Olympic boxer Nicola Adams took part in the show in 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic, with social distancing rules still in place. She and Katya Jones had become the first same-sex couple ever to compete in Strictly, but their journey was cut short due Adams testing positive for COVID. The series that year was operating under strict infection control conditions, which meant an automatic elimination for poor Adams.

Adam Peaty

Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty signed up for Strictly in 2021, paired with Katya Jones. The couple were the subject of Strictly curse rumours, and Peaty spoke out on the consequences following speculation that he "almost kissed" Jones at the end of their passionate Argentine Tango. After he became the sixth celebrity to be voted off the BBC dance contest Peaty said that the pressure of the dance competition had pushed him "over the edge". And eight months later he revealed he had split from his girlfriend Eirianedd Munro, although he insisted it had nothing to do with the 'Strictly curse'.

Peaty won a silver medal in the Men's 100metre breaststroke at the Paris Olympics and Jones was there to cheer him on.

Ellie Simmonds

Paralympic swimmer Ellie Simmonds was one of the Strictly contestants in 2022. After the line-up was announced she revealed she had already been trolled over her height, before viewers had even seen her dance. Simmonds was paired with Nikita Kuzmin and they were the sixth couple to be sent home after landing in the dance-off for the first time. She said afterwards it felt heartbreaking to be leaving the show.

Jody Cundy

Paralympic cyclist and swimmer Jody Cundy CBE was the medal-winner in Strictly series 21. He has eight gold, one silver and three bronze medals. He and the then reigning champion pro Jowita Prystal did not manage to add a Glitterball to that collection, as they were the third couple to be eliminated from the series.

Cundy contracted a serious infection in his leg while learning the Viennese Waltz with Jowita Przystal. The infection was caused by a build up of sweat between his body and prosthetic leg leaving him unable to wear the prosthetic for a while, and at one point he feared he would have to pull out of the competition. Detailing the injury, he said: "When it was bad, and I couldn’t put my leg on, there was worries that I probably wouldn’t be able to dance or whatever, and wasn’t really sure where we went from there."

Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One this autumn.