Football legend Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink 'latest star to be signed for Strictly 2025'

With the 2025 season of Strictly Come Dancing just weeks away from launching, more stars are being linked to the show - with a premiere league icon the latest to be tipped to star. Former Leeds United star Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink is said to be swapping soccer for sequins as a contestant on the long-running BBC show.

The 53-year-old Dutch sportsman stands to be the latest in a long line of football legends to take to the Strictly dancefloor. He would follow the likes of Robbie Savage, Alex Scott and Tony Adams to bid for Glitterball Trophy victory.

The former striker was hired as a coach for the England national team in 2023, but stepped away from responsibilities in August last year following manager Gareth Southgate's exit last August. With time on his hands, it is suggested Jimmy could be among the celebrities taking part in Strictly this year.

READ MORE: ITV legend, 74, 'traumatised' after being assaulted and robbed in daylight by London gang

READ MORE: How to actually get to sleep in the heatwave tonight as everyone makes same mistake

A source told The Sun: “Jimmy has a huge fanbase from his years playing in the Premier League and is a very likeable character. Show producers are always keen to book a retired footballer as it gets footie fans tuning into the series and becoming unlikely fans of the show.

"Jimmy has a competitive edge and is going to get his head in the game.” The Mirror has contacted representatives of Jimmy and the BBC for comment.

Olympian Sir Mo Farah, Gladiators star Harry Aikines-Aryeetey - better known as Nitro - and former Big Brother contestant Yinrun Huang are among stars tipped to appear in the upcoming new season.

Judges Craig Revel Horwood, Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke are all set to return for the 2025 season - which will be the 23rd in the long history of the show. But after the past two years, bosses are said to be worried about fresh scandal hitting the show.

Stirctly has been dragged into disrepute in recent years amid accusations that professional dancers have been physically abusive to their celebrity dance partners. While the celebs have also been accused of offensive behaviour.

Earlier this year, it was reported BBC bosses are practically paralyzed by a "terrible, terrible fear" that more scandal will hit the show - and there have been attempts to clean up the image of the series - and this could also impact star signings.

It has been suggested the BBC are taking steps to go risk free and leaving no stone unturned to make sure the line-up is as safe as possible for the 2025 season. Blue Peter presenters Joel Mawhinney and Shini Muthukrishnan are said to be under consideration - as is Tom Parker Bowles, the son of Queen Camilla.

Georgia Toffolo - the I'm a Celebrity Jungle Queen - is reportedly being lined up, as is Girls Aloud singer Nicola Roberts. Newly married former Love Island star Dani Dyer is being considered, it has been reported, with former Coronation Street star Helen Flanagan another name high up on bosses' list.

"There is a terrible, terrible fear among those high up that these awful things are going to keep happening and the show will be brought into disrepute again and again," one well-place BBC insider has told MailOnline. "With that in mind, they are taking no chances.

"There will be stringent checks, and asking around, and digging into potential stars’ backgrounds to make sure that they’re not choosing anyone who might damage the show. For years, there was the whole Strictly “curse” where the contestants and professionals kept having affairs. But that stopped.

"Changes were made to the partnerships and it worked. There have been other issues in the past couple of years, though. What’s been even more embarrassing for the BBC is that Wynne and Jamie have been from their own stable of stars. Going forward, those at the top want a wholesome image to shine through. No more scandal – just joy."

The report came after 2024 contestant Jamie Borthwick, who is known for playing Jay Brown in the BBC soap EastEnders, was forced to issue a groveling apology after footage was reportedly uncovered showing him making derogatory comments about the people of Blackpool.

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , and Threads .