The first three contestants for Strictly Come Dancing 2019 have been officially confirmed.

There had been rumours that it would be Sam Allardyce, Jamie Laing and Anneka Rice who would be announced as the newest celebs to compete for the glitter ball trophy this season. However, on Wednesday evening, the official Strictly Come Dancing Twitter account unveiled this season's first three celebs: comedian Chris Ramsey, England football legend David James and EastEnders' Emma Barton. Ramsey said he was "excited and absolutely terrified" to be taking part in the popular TV series, adding:

“You will not find me on the dance floor at parties, you will find me at the buffet table. All night. "At my wedding I danced with my wife; that one song took about six months practice, and I definitely stood on her feet a couple of times. So I’m looking forward to the possibility of making a fool of myself in front of millions of people… there better be a buffet after the live shows.”

Meanwhile, James said he had "some big shoes to fill" as he was announced to be joining the series. He continued:

“I’m really excited to be on Strictly this year. Not just competing against this year's stars, but being compared to previous sport stars from previous Strictly seasons."

And EastEnders' Emma Barton said she couldn't wait to go from Albert Square to the Strictly dance floor. She said:

“As possibly one of the biggest Strictly fans on the planet, I still can’t believe this is happening. I’m very much a dance around your handbag kinda girl, but now I've been given this wonderful opportunity to learn all the different styles of dancing from the very best in the business. "So, I’m whipping off Honey's ‘Minute Mart’ tabard and diving right in to all the glitter and sparkle."