This year’s most successful Strictly Come Dancing star

New research ranks EastEnders favourite Lacey Turner as the most successful name in the 2026 Strictly Come Dancing line-up.

Strictly Come Dancing is back for another glitter-filled series, with a fresh group of celebrities preparing to swap their day jobs for sequins, spray tans and the famous ballroom floor.

While all eyes will soon be on who can impress the judges and lift the Glitterball Trophy, many of this year’s stars have already built hugely successful careers before even stepping foot into the ballroom. But which of the 2026 contestants and new hosts is already the biggest success story?

New research by Betway Casino has ranked every confirmed celebrity contestant and new presenter by comparing their estimated net worth, Instagram following, IMDb film and TV nominations and IMDb wins to reveal the most successful names joining this year’s series.

Coming out on top is EastEnders actress Lacey Turner, who scores an overall 80 out of 100.

The 37-year-old, who has an estimated net worth of £3.7 million, has enjoyed one of the most decorated acting careers in the line-up, boasting 23 IMDb award nominations and 20 wins. Having played Stacey Slater for more than two decades, Turner enters Strictly as one of the most established television stars taking part this year.

In second place is Love Island winner Dani Dyer, who earns an overall score of 69. Since rising to fame on the ITV dating show in 2018, Dyer has built an impressive media career and amassed four million Instagram followers, making her one of the biggest social media stars in this year’s cast.

Completing the top three is Australian singer-songwriter Delta Goodrem, with an overall score of 67. The multi-platinum recording artist has an estimated net worth of almost £12 million and has enjoyed success across both music and TV throughout her career.

Celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton narrowly misses out on a top-three finish, ranking fourth thanks to his estimated £4.2 million net worth and four million Instagram followers, while new host Emma Willis is the highest-ranked presenter, placing fifth overall.

Most successful names in the 2026 Strictly Come Dancing celebrity and host line-up

Methodology:

Data gathered August 2026

The scores were normalised on a scale from 50 to 100, with 50 as the minimum score, as every person included has already achieved notable success in their field. The lowest value in each category received a score of 50, while the highest scored 100, with all remaining participants positioned proportionally between them.

Each person’s overall score was calculated by averaging their scores across four categories:

The five new professional dancers were excluded from the main ranking because no published net worth figures or verifiable IMDb award data could be found for them. Their Instagram follower counts are included separately for reference.