BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Tess Daly names surprise contestant as 'one to watch'

Strictly Come Dancing presenter Tess Daly says one celebrity is “not to be missed” as the contestants prepare to take to the floor live for the first time.

On husband Vernon Kay’s Radio 2 show on Friday, Tess revealed the “excitement is palpable” ahead of the live show. The 55-year-old said former England footballer Paul Merson has emerged as a standout contestant.

Paul, who has been partnered with Karen Hauer, however was dealt a big-blow hours before the first live show. That is because he emerged as bookies' favourite to be booted out first, although Tess has backed the star to be a surprise contender.

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She said: “The excitement is palpable in the studio today. It's really building, because all 15 celebrities are dancing live for the very first time on tomorrow night's show.

“Costumes are being finalised, fake tan sessions are being booked. We’ve got sambas, two sambas, and the samba’s challenging as a first dance, so that's going to be really interesting.

“We’ve got cha chas, and when I tell you that Paul Merson’s American Smooth is not to be missed, I promise I am not joking. We just can't wait for everyone to see all the hard work these brilliant celebrities have put in in the training room, it's gonna be an amazing show.”

Vernon meanwhile said the Sky Sports pundit looks as though he is “going to have the best time ever” on the show. He added: “If you watched the launch show, it looked like Paul Merson didn’t really get what was happening. He was just overwhelmed by the excitement of the sparkly shirt and new fake tan

“He was so joyous just watching him just smiling and laughing all the way through the group