Lacey Turner is reportedly set to take part in the next series of Strictly Come Dancing – just months after her soap exit.

The actress, who plays Stacey Slater in EastEnders, is currently on a temporary break from the BBC soap to spend time with her family.

And the star is now looking to try her hand at something new before she reprises her iconic role, according to The Sun.

A source told the publication: “Strictly bosses are delighted to snap Lacey up for the series, especially as she has such a huge fan base from her time on the soap.”

The source continued: “She’s down to earth and viewers will be excited to get to know her personality away from Albert Square.

“She has loved having some quality time off screen to focus on parenting, but feels like now is the perfect time to learn to dance and try something different before she reprises her role in EastEnders.”

Radio Times has contacted the BBC for comment.

Lacey Turner as Stacey Slater reacting to Max's comeback in EastEnders — Lacey Turner as Stacey Slater in EastEnders.BBC

Lacey previously revealed she had turned down the chance to appear on the competition.

She said in 2017: “I have been asked to go on Strictly but I’m rubbish at dancing and I don’t really have the guts.

“I think it’s a great show to do, though, as you learn a new skill.”

Although the contestant line-up is yet to be revealed for the 24th season of Strictly, the new instalment is starting to take shape, with Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe confirmed to be replacing Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman as hosts.

Read more:

The professional line-up has also been announced for the next season, with Dianne Buswell, Amy Dowden, Katya Jones, Neil Jones and Nikita Kuzmin all returning to the dancefloor.

Also coming back alongside them are Aljaž Škorjanec, Jowita Przystał, Johannes Radebe, Nancy Xu and Kai Widdrington.

They’ll be accompanied by Carlos Gu, Lauren Oakley, Vito Coppola, Alexis Warr and Julian Caillon.

Want to see this content?

This page contains content provided by Google reCAPTCHA. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Google reCAPTCHA may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose ‘Accept and continue’ to allow Google reCAPTCHA and its required purposes.

Strictly Come Dancing is available to watch on catch-up on BBC iPlayer.

Add Strictly Come Dancing to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.

Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guideand Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

Authors

RadioTimes.com senior trends writer Molly Moss. She is sitting outside wearing a black top, holding a white teacup with a smily face on it to her mouth

Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.