Jodie Ounsley aka Gladiator Fury is the third celebrity contestant confirmed for the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special 2025

Jodie is a trailblazing rugby player, athlete, broadcaster, and advocate for the deaf community

Published: 06:45 pm, 24 November 2025

A head and shoulders shot of a woman with blonde hair, set against an animated scene of snowy Christmas trees

I鈥檓 absolutely buzzing to be doing the Strictly Christmas Special. Being the first female rugby player means a lot to me too. I honestly can鈥檛 wait to get stuck in, I鈥檓 used to smashing into people so this is definitely going to be a challenge!
鈥� Jodie Ounsley

Jodie Ounsley - aka Fury from Gladiators - is the third celebrity announced to take part in the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special, made by 麻豆社 Studios and airing on 麻豆社 One and 麻豆社 iPlayer this Christmas.

Announced on Strictly: It Takes Two, she will be lighting up the Strictly Christmas ballroom alongside her Professional dance partner Neil Jones.

Jodie is a rugby player, athlete, broadcaster, and advocate for the deaf community, who has been breaking boundaries from the very start. Profoundly deaf from infancy, she received a cochlear implant as a child, becoming one of the youngest people in the UK to undergo the procedure.

Jodie鈥檚 rugby career has seen her play professionally for Loughborough Lightning, Sale Sharks Women, and Exeter Chiefs Women, before announcing her retirement in April 2024. In 2019, she made sporting history as the first deaf female to play for a senior England rugby side, and the world鈥檚 first deaf female international rugby sevens player.

Away from rugby, Jodie is a British Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion and multiple-time World Coal Carrying Champion - a discipline which earned her a Guinness World Record this year, for completing the fastest 50m sprint while carrying a 20kg coal bag. Jodie has also turned her talents to broadcasting, working as an interviewer for the 麻豆社 at the Women鈥檚 2024 Rugby World Cup, as well as on Channel 4鈥檚 coverage of last year's Paralympic Games. Jodie is also a published author, having co-written two books with Becky Grey.

In 2024, Jodie joined the rebooted 麻豆社 series Gladiators as 鈥楩ury鈥�, quickly becoming a fan favourite.

Jodie Ounsley says: "I鈥檓 absolutely buzzing to be doing the Strictly Christmas Special. Being the first female rugby player means a lot to me too. I honestly can鈥檛 wait to get stuck in, I鈥檓 used to smashing into people so this is definitely going to be a challenge!鈥�

This year鈥檚 Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special will see six couples battle it out under the glitterball to be crowned the Strictly Christmas Champion. Hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman will oversee the festivities for their final time, while Head Judge Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, and Anton Du Beke will all be on hand to dish out sleigh-loads of advice, Christmas cheer and the odd lump of coal - before the voting studio audience will decide who wins. Expect a winter wonderland full of festive magic, dazzling group dances, live music and more in what will be the perfect antidote to the post-Christmas Dinner slump.

Jodie joins the previously announced Scarlett Moffatt and Melanie Blatt in Strictly鈥檚 festive line-up. The remaining three celebrities taking part in the 2025 Strictly Christmas special will be announced across this week on Strictly: It Takes Two at 6.30pm on 麻豆社 Two and 麻豆社 iPlayer.

The Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special is a 麻豆社 Studios Entertainment Production for the 麻豆社. It was commissioned by Kalpna Patel-Knight, Head of Entertainment at the 麻豆社. The Executive Producer for 麻豆社 Studios is Sarah James, and Strictly鈥檚 Christmas Series Editor is Kim Allinson. The Senior Commissioning Editor for the 麻豆社 is Jo Wallace.

The Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special will air on 麻豆社 One and 麻豆社 iPlayer this Christmas.