Actress Bethany Antonia was the ninth celebrity to be announced for Strictly Come Dancing on Tuesday.
The House Of The Dragon star, 28, is best known for playing dragon-rider Lady Baela Targaryen in HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel since 2022.
The news was announced on Tuesday via @bbcstrictly’s official social channels on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube.
Bethany’s impressive acting career began at 14 years old when she appeared in a short film adaptation of The Tempest, before being cast as a guest role in the BBC’s Doctors.
Her breakout television role came in 2020 as Margot Rivers in the BBC/Netflix teen thriller Get Even, and she has since appeared in a range of acclaimed series such as Nolly, Stay Close, Stath Lets Flats, and Doctor Who.
House Of The Dragon’s Bethany Antonia was the ninth celebrity announced for Strictly Come Dancing on Tuesday
She is currently starring as Eurydice in the smash hit, Tony Award-winning musical Hadestown in London’s West End.
Bethany Antonia said: ‘I can’t quite believe that I will be heading to the Strictly ballroom this September!
‘I have grown up watching Strictly, and I am so excited to take the challenge on and (hopefully!) learn a new skill. See you on the dancefloor!’
Bethany joins Lacey Turner, Dani Dyer, Delta Goodrem, Chris Appleton, Cach Mercer, Will Best, Dame Sarah Storey, and Jaime Winstone in the 2026 Strictly Come Dancing line-up.
Further news will be revealed throughout the summer ahead of the brand-new series getting underway on BBC One and BBC iPlayer this September.
EastEnders star Lacey was the first contestant announced as she is currently on an extended break from playing her iconic character Stacey Slater in the soap and is keen to use her time to train for the BBC competition, which will start in September.
In a video shared to Instagram, Lacey admitted she is ‘terrified’ to be taking part in the BBC show, which will return to screens in September, and can’t wait to ‘learn a new skill’.
She said: ‘Hello it’s Lacey Turner I can’t quite believe that I’m actually saying this but I want to let you in on a little secret.
‘This September I will be taking my little toes onto the dancefloor to do Strictly Come Dancing.
‘I can’t believe it. I’m so excited and terrified at the same time but I’ve had so many friends do Strictly and I thought it was about time that I plucked up the courage and made my way onto that dance floor. So, there you go the secret is out, see you there in September.’
It comes after it was revealed Dani is also making her Strictly comeback.
The TV star has been confirmed as the second celeb to take part in the 2026 series of Strictly Come Dancing one year after she was forced to quit the 2025 run after fracturing her ankle during rehearsals.
Dani said: ‘I am so excited to be back in the ballroom this September!’
‘I just cannot wait to get my dancing shoes back on and hopefully this time around I can actually make it to week one! I’m just over the moon and cannot wait to find out who else is doing it!’
Upon her exit last year, BBC bosses confirmed the door would be left open for ‘heartbroken’ Dani to return for the 2026 series as they said they ‘hope to welcome her back to the ballroom in the future’.
Elsewhere, on Monday the returning Strictly professional dancers shared a glimpse inside day one of rehearsals for the 2026 series on Instagram.
Amy Dowden, Dianne Buswell and Jowita Przystal are among the stars returning to the dancefloor this year after the BBC show underwent a major shake-up.
The stars were also joined by returning pro Carlos Gu, 33, who scooped the coveted Glitterball Trophy with footballer Karen Carney.
As well as Katya Jones, Kai Widdrington, Aljaž Škorjanec, Lauren Oakley, Nancy Xu, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Alexis Warr, Julian Caillon and Vito Coppola.
Five new faces were recently announced to the pro line-up, months after the Strictly axe ‘bloodbath’ saw bosses ditch stars Michelle Tsiakkas, Karen Hauer, Nadiya Bychkova, Luba Mushtuk and Gorka Marquez.
Making their Strictly dancer debut this Autumn will be Ukrainian Aleksandra Isaeva, Italian hunk Cristian Priori, South African latin champion Lethabo Monametsi as well as Canadian dancer Mark Karmalita and UK National Ballroom Champion Maddie Ingoldsby.
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