Cach Mercer joins Strictly 2026 as fifth confirmed celebrity
Love Island winner Cach Mercer is swapping the villa for the ballroom after being confirmed as the fifth celebrity in Strictly Come Dancing’s 2026 line-up. The 25-year-old arrives with a built-in advantage: his social channels already feature Afrobeat, hip-hop and street dance, and his TikTok posts have attracted almost 50 million likes. He will now have to turn that natural movement into formal Ballroom technique when the BBC series returns in September.
What We Know So Far
The BBC announced Mercer’s casting on Thursday 9 July through Strictly’s official Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube accounts. He joins Lacey Turner, Dani Dyer, Delta Goodrem and Chris Appleton, giving viewers the first five confirmed names for a series that will continue revealing contestants through the summer.
Mercer rose to public attention on the 2025 series of Love Island and won the public vote as the male champion. Several outlets report that he won alongside Toni Laites. Since then, his profile has expanded beyond reality television: the supplied coverage describes him as a model, DJ and ambassador for a young people’s mental health charity.
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His existing dance background is likely to be one of the early talking points. The source material repeatedly highlights videos showing Afrobeat, hip-hop and street dance moves. Strictly, however, will ask something different of him: partnered routines, technical Ballroom steps and the Foxtrot he says he wants to learn for the first time.
The 2026 contest is also arriving during a wider reset for the programme. The supplied reports say Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe will present the new series after Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman stepped down. A number of professional dancers have also left, so Mercer is entering a cast during one of the show’s most visible periods of change.
The Response
Mercer presented the move as a personal milestone rather than simply another television booking. His comments centre on growing up with the programme and finally taking part in a show he watched with his family.
I have grown up watching the show with my family and am so excited to now be part of the cast. Dancing is a huge passion of mine and I can’t wait to learn Ballroom and do the Foxtrot for the first time!
In a separate social media video reported by The Independent, Mercer said he had kept the news secret for a long time and was eager to discover both his professional partner and what the dance floor would demand of him. The reaction included supportive messages reported by the North Somerset Times from professional dancer Dianne Buswell, presenter and comedian Eddie Kadi, and fellow Love Island personality Megan Forte Clarke.
What It Means for You
For UK viewers, Mercer’s casting adds a contestant with a large younger social-media audience to one of the BBC’s biggest entertainment programmes. His near-50 million TikTok likes mean many people may arrive already familiar with his movement style before he performs a single scored routine.
That does not make the competition straightforward. Street and club-based dance can reward individuality and rhythm, while Strictly judges formal routines with different technical expectations. The contrast gives Mercer a clear storyline from the start: viewers will see whether an established social-media dancer can adapt to Ballroom discipline.
His presence also creates another reality-TV crossover in the line-up. Dani Dyer, another former Love Island winner, has already been confirmed, meaning two past champions of the ITV2 dating show are set to compete in the same Strictly series. For fans of both programmes, that overlap gives the autumn schedule an extra point of interest.
Coming Up
More celebrity names are due to be announced throughout the summer. The BBC says Strictly Come Dancing will return to BBC One and BBC iPlayer in September, when Mercer will find out how his existing dance experience translates into the competition’s formal routines.
At a Glance
- Cach Mercer is the fifth confirmed celebrity for Strictly Come Dancing 2026.
- He won the public vote as the male champion of Love Island in 2025.
- His TikTok content has attracted almost 50 million likes.
- His videos feature Afrobeat, hip-hop and street dance moves.
- He joins Lacey Turner, Dani Dyer, Delta Goodrem and Chris Appleton.
- The series is due back on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in September.
FAQ
Who is Cach Mercer on Strictly Come Dancing 2026?
Cach Mercer is a social media personality and the 2025 male champion of Love Island. He is the fifth celebrity confirmed for the 2026 series of Strictly Come Dancing.
Does Cach Mercer have dance experience?
His social media posts feature Afrobeat, hip-hop and street dance moves, and the supplied reports say those videos have helped build his following. He has said he now wants to learn Ballroom and perform the Foxtrot for the first time.
Who else is confirmed for Strictly 2026?
The confirmed line-up so far includes Lacey Turner, Dani Dyer, Delta Goodrem, Chris Appleton and Cach Mercer. Further names are due to be announced during the summer.
When does Strictly Come Dancing 2026 start?
The BBC says the new series will begin in September. It will be shown on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Who are the new Strictly hosts in 2026?
The supplied reports say Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe will present the 2026 series. They replace Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.
Resources
Sources and references cited in this article.