Who is Lawrence Robb? Meet Strictly Come Dancing 2026 contestant and actor

Lawrence Robb is swapping the Dales for the dance floor as he embarks on his Strictly Come Dancing 2026 journey.

Best known for his role on Emmerdale, Robb is expected to take a break from the ITV soap and will reportedly be off-screen until 2027.

Following the announcement that Robb was joining Strictly, co-star Danny Miller congratulated him on Instagram, appearing to confirm that Robb would be temporarily leaving the soap.

ITV declined to comment on this story, but Radio Times understands that Robb will be taking a temporary hiatus from the Dales.

So, just who is Lawrence Robb as he gears to take on the Strictly ballroom? Scroll on to find out!

Age: 34

Job: Emmerdale actor

Instagram: @lawrencejarobb

Lawrence Robb is an actor best known for his role as Mackenzie 'Mack' Boyd on Emmerdale. Over the years, Robb has been at the centre of many of the show's most explosive storylines, including affairs, kidnap, murder and this year's landmark crossover, Corriedale.

Before joining Emmerdale six years ago, Robb appeared in I Hate Suzie alongside Billie Piper, Legally Blonde The Musical and Mojo in the West End.

What has Lawrence Robb said about Strictly Come Dancing?

Lawrence admittedly feels "overwhelmed" about joining Strictly 2026, as well as "nervous, trepidatious, but excited is the overriding emotion".

He said: "I've never done anything like this before, and from the very minimal dancing that I've done in the past, I know that it's going to be an uphill battle from the get-go. I think once things kick off, I'll probably understand what I've got myself into!"

Lawrence joked that his mum is probably more excited than him, adding: "And for someone that is going to host Strictly parties every Saturday, I kind of feel like I owe it to her to do at least relatively well so she can carry on hosting them!"

Strictly Come Dancing begins on Saturday 19 September at 7:25pm on BBC One and iPlayer.

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Authors

Katelyn Mensah is the Senior Entertainment Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.