Mollie King named as first Strictly Come Dancing contestant

Pop star Mollie King has been announced as the first contestant on this year's Strictly Come Dancing.

The singer, 30, is following in the footsteps of former Saturdays bandmate Frankie Bridge, who was runner-up in the 2014 series.

Mollie's participation was announced on Nick Grimshaw's BBC Radio 1 breakfast show on Monday.

She enthused: "I'm a huge fan of Strictly Come Dancing so I can't actually believe I'm lucky enough to be taking part in it this year. I'm literally so excited to learn Latin and ballroom dancing, and of course I can't wait to get into the sequins too.

"It's going to be a lot of hard work but I'm ready for the challenge."