Who is Shaun Wright-Phillips? Meet Strictly Come Dancing 2026 contestant and footballer

Strictly Come Dancing has returned for its 24th season, featuring a new cohort of celebrities swapping their day jobs for sequins and spray tans.

One of those famous faces is former England footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips, who is taking on a very different kind of sporting challenge.

While the former footballer may be used to performing in front of huge crows, Strictly Come Dancing is a different beast entirely.

Ahead of his Strictly dance floor debut, here's everything you need to know about Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Age: 44

Job: Footballer and pundit

Instagram: @shaunwp98

Shaun Wright-Phillips is footballer, and son of footballing legend Ian Wright, with 36 caps for England across his professional career that also saw him play for Manchester City, Chelsea, Queens Park Rangers and the USA's New York Red Bulls and Phoenix Rising FC.

Now a football pundit and broadcaster, Wright-Phillips has worked with the likes of the BBC, Sky Sports, ITV and the Premier League. He has also been a Manchester City ambassador since 2020.

And football continues to run in the family! Shaun has a son, D'Margio Wright-Phillips, who plays for Belgian club Beerschot and the Grenada national team.

What has Shaun Wright-Phillips said about Strictly Come Dancing?

Shaun Wright-Phillips wanted to challenge himself and learn something new and so decided to say 'yes' to Strictly!

He added: "It’s something that’s definitely out of my comfort zone, but overall I’m really looking forward to it!"

The former footballer is most looking forward to "stepping into a new arena and learning new skills". I’m also really excited to meeting some amazing people along the way."

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

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Authors

Tilly Pearce is a freelance TV journalist whose coverage ranges from reality shows like Love Is Blind to sci-fi shows like Fallout. She is an NCTJ Gold Standard accredited journalist, who has previously worked as Deputy TV Editor (maternity cover) at Digital Spy, and Deputy TV & Showbiz Editor at Daily Express US.