This year’s Strictly Come Dancing season has finally kicked off as fans eagerly lap up the celebrity and pro dancer pairings for 2019.
We take a closer look at former England goalkeeper David James who will be swapping his football boots for dancing shoes.
Who is David James?
David James is best known as England’s goalkeeper, with his safe hands keeping the goals at bay between 1997 and 2010.
Capped 53 times, the goalie was England’s first choice for Euro 2004 and the 2010 World Cup.
He was awarded an MBE in the 2012 Birthday Honours list for his services to football and charity.
The 49-year-old was brought up in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire.
He is of mixed English and Jamaican descent, and spent part of his childhood in Jamaica.
David has four children with ex-wife Tanya, and currently lives with partner Amanda Salmon in Devon.
Why was David nicknamed ‘Calamity James’?
The former goalie’s career has been riddled with as many gaffes as great saves.
His badly timed efforts at stopping legends Eric Cantona and Roberto Di Matteo scoring during the 96 and 2000 FA Cup Finals led him to give away vital goals.
Adding to the nation’s outrage, he even once attributed his lack of concentration to playing Nintendo games late into the night before a big match.
Who is David dancing with?
David will be making moves on the dancefloor with Ukranian ballroom and Latin American pro Nadiya Bychkova.
The 30-year-old joined Strictly in 2017, and made it to the quarter-finals in her first year.
Nadiya is a two-time World Champion and European Champion dancer, and she even took part in the Bosnian version of Strictly.
She trained at the same school as fellow Pro Aljaž Skorjanec and once appeared on the front cover of Slovenia’s Playboy magazine.
What time does Strictly Come Dancing 2019 air and what channel is it on?
Strictly Come Dancing ’s launch show airs on BBC One at 7.10pm on Saturday, September 7 2019.
The main shows will kick off on Saturday, September 21, with the final expected around 13 weeks later.
The results will be announced during the Sunday shows.
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