Who is Strictly Come Dancing contestant Shayne Ward? X Factor winner and Corrie actor confirmed for ballroom dance show

SHAYNE Ward rose to fame in 2005 after winning X Factor.

The star has been officially announced as part of the Strictly Come Dancing 2024 lineup.

PA

Shayne Ward is set to join this year’s Strictly Come Dancing[/caption]

When will Shayne Ward appear on Strictly Come Dancing 2024?

Shayne has signed up to compete in this year’s Strictly.

A source said: “Shayne is a previous winner of an audience-voted talent show so will have high hopes of doing it again. He is excited to begin training.

“He has some dancing experience so could be a contender for the glitterball trophy.

“He also has a whopping fan base from his years as a Coronation Street hunk.”

Shayne is set to join celebs including ex-footie ace Paul Merson, 56, and DIY SOS’s Nick Knowles, 61, in Strictly’s line-up.

Who is Shayne Ward?

Shayne is a singer and actor from Tameside, Greater Manchester.

He won the second series of X Factor in 2005, competing against Andy Abraham, who finished in second place, and Journey South, who took third.

The star won a recording contract with Simon Cowell’s Syco label and went on to release several successful singles.

Before joining The X Factor, Shayne was part of a band called Destiny, along with Tracy Murphy and Tracey Lyle. They performed at pubs, clubs, and weddings.

What are Shayne Ward’s biggest hits?

Shayne’s biggest hits include That’s My Goal, which was his debut single and reached number one in the UK.

Another popular track is No Promises, which reached number 2 on the UK Singles Chart.

His song Breathless from his second album was also a big hit and peaked at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart.

Shayne won a National Television Award in 2006 for Most Popular Talent Show for his win on X Factor.

As well as his music career, Shayne later took on the role of Staycee Jaxx in the ’80s musical Rock of Ages on the West End, and stayed with the show from 2011 to 2012.

Rex Features

Who did Shayne Ward play on Coronation Street?

After achieving significant success in music, Shayne broadened his career by venturing into acting.

The X Factor winner joined the cast of Corrie as bad boy Aidan Connor in August 2015 – the half-brother of Carla (later revealed in a dramatic storyline), who owned the factory, Underworld, at the time.

His character quickly became known as a ladies’ man, something which came back to haunt him in a complicated love triangle between Maria Connor (Samia Longchambon) and Eva Price (Catherine Tyldesley).

In a typically dramatic conclusion to the storyline, Aidan felt the wrath of Eva as she went “full bunny boiler” on the discovery of his affair with a devious plot to sabotage their wedding day.

He bagged two gongs for Best Newcomer in 2016 – one at the National Television Awards and the other at Inside Soap awards.

But in 2018 his on-screen persona committed suicide on Coronation Street.

Is Shayne Ward in a relationship?

Shayne is currently loved up with former Hollyoaks actress Sophie Austin, and the pair have been dating since 2016.

Sophie and Shayne got engaged in 2017 but postponed their wedding during the coronavirus pandemic.

Shayne previously opened up to Lorraine Kelly after she asked about him putting their big day on hold.

He joked: “Don’t tell Sophie. No, literally we spoke about it and that was what was nice about it.

“Everything can wait, there is no rush and we can definitely do this next year, but we’re together for life and that is the main thing, we’re together regardless.”

The couple has not yet revealed their wedding plans.

Shayne and Sophie welcomed their first daughter, Willow, in 2017 and their son Reign, in June 2022.

Handout

Shayne was part of a band before he made his X Factor debut[/caption]

Rex Features

He won a record label with Simon Cowell[/caption]

Rex Features