This year, the show is underway and set to hit the British screens this September. For die-hard fans, however, the airing date is of little importance as their biggest interest is the cast members who join Strictly. And this year, as Strictly is claimed to be 'extra-special' with the biggest line-up in history to mark the BBC's 100th anniversary, fans have been keen as mustard to find out which favorite stars are going to star on the show. While only two celebrities have been confirmed to join as contestants so far, the full list of professional dancers was announced months ago. Read on to find which professionals will take part in Strictly 2022.

Vito Coppola is a famous professional dancer who began dancing at the age of 6 and went on to win the national championship at age 10. So far, he has won the Italian Latin American Champion 11 times. He's also a 3-time World Cup Championship finalist and European Cup Winner. In 2021, he burst onto TV screens when winning Ballando con le Stelle, the Italian of Strictly. Talking about his new role, Coppola told the BBC: 'I am really excited to become part of this family. I cannot wait to start this new adventure and challenge myself. Strictly, sto arrivando. (Strictly, I'm coming)'

Chinese professional dancer Carlos Gu is a multiple world semi-finalist. His career highlight includes 3rd place at the German Open Championship and Amateur Latin Rising Star Runner Up at the 2017 UK Open. Gu's appearance on Strictly this year is expected to enrich the show given his expertise in ballet and contemporary dance. Regarding his participation in Strictly 2022, the Chinese dancer said: 'I’m absolutely ready to take on this journey and to shine.'

Another pro dancer to debut at Strictly's 20th series this year is Lauren Oakley. The Birmingham-born dancer took to the dance floor at just two years old and began competing soon after. A former U21 British National Champion, Oakley won the Juvenile Champion at the Blackpool Dance Festival in both Ballroom and Latin categories. In recent years, she has been going on national tours with Strictly professionals Giovanni Pernice and Anton Du Beke. Before becoming a Strictly pro, Oakley used to work for the BBC as a freelance dancer.

A force to be reckoned with, Latin dance champion Michelle Tsiakkas once dominated the dance floor in Cyprus, winning national titles consecutively from 2001-2011 before moving to London to study architecture and interior design. In England, dancing was still in Tsiakkas' blood and she went on to represent the country at major international championships. She has also appeared in the dance show Burn The Floor. Tsiakkas revealed that Strictly has always been her dream, saying: 'Being a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing has been my dream ever since I was a little girl. I cannot believe my dream has come true!'

Buswell is a former Australian Open Champion, having reached Amateur Australian Open finals four times. The 33-year-old dancer turned professional in 2011 when she toured the world with the company Burn the Floor. She previously had experience as a pro on Dancing with the Stars - the Australian version of Strictly before joining the UK version in 2017. A year later, she reached the final with her partner, social media star Joe Sugg. In last year's series, however, she had to withdraw early on as her partner suffered a health deterioration.

32-year-old Nadiya Bychkova is a Ukrainian-Slovenian professional dancer. She's a multiple-time Slovenian Ballroom and Latin Champion. Her other career highlights include two World Champions and another European Champion in Ballroom and Latin. She used to work as a pro dancer on the Bosnian version of Strictly before joining the show in 2017. In her first series, Bychkova was partnered with EastEnders star Davood Ghadami and danced their way to the quarter-final, finishing in sixth place.

British professional dancer Neil Jones has represented Finland, the Netherlands, and the UK on international dance floors. The 40-year-old star has amassed 45 dance championship titles, including 8 times British National, 8 times Dutch National, European, and 4 times World Latin Champion. Since 2016, Jones has been part of Strictly but only did group dances before partnering with his first celebrity, former footballer Alex Scott in 2019. Last year, he was partnered with actress Nina Wadia but they ended up being the first dancing pair to be eliminated.

24-year-old professional dancer Nikita Kuzmin grew up in Ukraine before moving to Italy with his family to support his sister's rising dancing career. In Italy, Kuzmin competed on and won 6 Italian Championship titles in Latin and Ballroom. He became a pro on Let’s Dance, Germany’s version of Strictly Come Dancing before joining the UK version last year. He was partnered with famed TV presenter Tilly Ramsey and made it to the tenth week.

The most recent winner of Strictly, Italian professional Giovanni Pernice has been on the show since 2016. Last year, he and deaf actress Rose Ayling Ellis took the world by storm with their moving Tango and won the show. Since his debut on Strictly, Giovanni has been a favorite and also a force to be reckoned with. In seven series, the 31-year-old Sicily-born has reached the final four times.

Two-time Professional South African Latin champion Johannes Radebe joined the cast of professional dancers on Strictly in 2018. Prior to that, he already had four years of experience as a pro on the South African version of the show. Last year, the 35-year-old dancer and his partner - Great British Bake Off star John Whaite, went down in history as the first-ever Strictly male duo. Together, they reached the final and became runners-up, losing to Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice.

English dancer Kai Widdrington became the World Junior Latin-American champion when he was just 14 years old. In 2012, a then 16-year-old Widdrington became famous when he reached the final in Britain’s Got Talent. From 2017 to 2020, he was a professional dancer on the Irish version of Dancing with the Stars, before signing up for Strictly in 2021. Last year, he and celebrity partner AJ Odudu finished third in the show.

30-year-old Gorka Marquez turned professional at the age of 12 and has since represented Spain competing in Latin and international championships. The Spaniard joined the Strictly pro cast in 2016 and reached the final one year later with X-Factor star Alexandra Burke. He was demoted from the main cast in 2019 but returned in 2020 when he made it to the final with EastEnders star Maisie Smith but failed to win the Glitterball trophy.

Russian brunette Luba Mushtuk has been a part of Strictly for many years as an assistant choreographer before being signed up for the pro cast in 2018. Her career highlights include four Italian Dance Championships. However, Luba's results in Strictly have been poor so far. In 2019, she and Olympic rowing champion James Cracknell became the first couple to be voted out. She did a little better in 2020 when she and Jason Bell made it to the second week.

28-year-old Nancy Xu was a finalist in the China version of So You Think You Can Dance. In her career, the Chinese dancer has also appeared in the West End and Broadway casts of Strictly's dance show Burn the Floor. She made her ballroom debut last year when she was paired with CBBC presenter Rhys Stephenson and reached the semi-final.

The youngest professional cast on the show, South African Latin Champion Cameron Lombard has an impressive 18 regional and international titles under his belt although being only 20 years old. His dancing career began at age six, and in 2012 he reached the final in South Africa’s Got Talent. In 2019, at age 18, Lombard already represented South Africa at the World Championships.

31-year-old Amy Dowden was a huge fan of Strictly when she was a teenager, and in 2017, the Welsh brunette achieved her dream of joining the show's pro cast. She also went down in history as the first-ever Welsh professional to appear on Strictly. The four-time British National Finalist reached the final in 2019 when she partnered with CBBC star Karim Zeroual. Last year, she and McFly star Tom Fletcher finished in seventh place.

Another Italian dancer on Strictly, Sicily-born Graziano Di Prima made his ballroom debut in 2018 and brought his wealth of experience to the show. Graziano became a favorite in his debut series as he already got his own introductory dance prior to joining Strictly. However, Graziano and the How star Vick Hope ended up being eliminated in the early weeks. For the 2021 version called Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special, Graziano and famous Rockabye singer Anne-Marie partnered and eventually won the trophy.

Venezuelan-American professional dancer Karen Hauer is the longest-serving cast in Strictly, having appeared on the show since 2012. The 40-year-old World Mambo Champion has made it to the final twice, the most recent of which was in 2020 when she partnered with Made In Chelsea star Jamie Laing. Hauer was also a contestant on the US series So You Think You Can Dance in 2009.

33-year-old dancer Katya Jones took up dancing when she was only 6 years old. She joined Strictly Come Dancing as a professional cast in 2016 and became famous for her Gangnam Style routine with the Good Morning Britain star Ed Balls. In the 2020 series, Katya partnered with Olympic boxer Nicola Adams, making them the first same-sex couple in the show. Katya married fellow Strictly cast Neil Jones in 2013 but the couple went their separate ways in 2019.

Polish ballroom dancer Jowita Przystal joined Strictly in 2021. The 26-year-old brunette began dancing at the age of 12 and is a Polish Open Latin Champion. Under the mentorship of two-time Strictly Champion Oti Mabuse, she won the BBC’s The Greatest Dancer in 2020.