After her fairy-tale wedding to West Ham footballer Jarrod Bowen, Love Island's Dani Dyer is ready for the next chapter in her life – which could see her hitting the Strictly dance floor.
We’re told the former Love Island winner is reportedly in discussions to join the next series of the BBC show. ‘Dani is still on cloud nine after her wedding, but once she’s back from her honeymoon, she wants to concentrate on her career. She’s thrilled to be in the running for Strictly. For her, it means she’s finally shaken off her Love Island tag,’ a source tells heat. ‘She hasn’t signed anything yet, but is in late stage talks – and her and the BBC are desperate to make it work.’
While the show – which is rumoured to be lining up Stacey Solomon, Georgia Toffolo, Helen Flanagan, Ashley Cain and Tom Parker-Bowles to star – has been plagued by the infamous Strictly curse over the years, we’re told that the newlyweds are not even remotely worried.
‘Dani knows she and Jarrod won’t fall victim to the curse as they have no trust issues. Plus, she’s joked that they’re far too early on in their relationship to start looking elsewhere,’ our insider says. ‘Lots of other couples – such as Frankie and Wayne Bridge, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and her husband Richard Jones, and Abbey Clancy and Peter Crouch – have survived it, so it doesn’t really concern her.’
Dani and Jarrod, both 28, tied the knot on 31 May in a Bridgerton-inspired wedding in Buckinghamshire. The bride, who was walked down the aisle by actor dad Danny, wore two stunning ‘dresses of dreams’ – a £10k Suzanne Neville gown, followed by a custom hand-embellished mini dress with over 12,000 Swarovski crystals by Josephine Scott. The couple – who first met in 2021 – had their two-year-old twin daughters Summer and Star as flower girls, while Dani’s son Santiago, four, from a previous relationship was a page boy. ‘The best day of my entire life, and a day that I will want to relive forever,’ she told followers on Instagram.
The fact that Dani is not bothered by the so-called curse doesn’t change the fact that plenty of celebs have fallen victim, including Louise Redknapp, Rachel Riley and Stacey Dooley. However, rather than worrying about if the show would take a toll on their new marriage, our insider says that Dani’s biggest concern is childcare.
We’re told, ‘This is the main worry for Dani, as Jarrod plays football most Saturdays and that’s when Strictly is filmed, so she would be very reliant on friends and family to help with the kids. Jarrod is fully behind her and her dad thinks it will open up so many other opportunities for her.’
Despite this, Dani’s looking forward to showing off her moves and learning a new skill. ‘She’s hoping she can get the deal done as she feels it’s now or never for her – she doesn’t have any other huge commitments, apart from the children and her podcast with Danny,’ says the insider. ‘Next year, she could be pregnant again and who knows what will be happening with Jarrod’s career. She’s also in great shape right now, so she wants to continue that. Everyone says that doing Strictly is the best workout ever and they have never felt better.’
Dani’s decision to take part in BBC’s flagship show comes after Rivals star Danny said he has turned down offers to appear on it. ‘I get offered to do Strictly every year, and it’s not for me. I’ve got no desire to be mincing around in sequins,’ he said.
But we’re told BBC bosses are over the moon that Dani has agreed, and they think she’ll be a huge hit. Our source says, ‘The producers are thrilled she’s agreed to take part and are ironing out her fee. She’s bubbly, down-to-earth and straight-talking. They reckon she’ll make an ideal contestant – not to mention the bonus of having Jarrod and dad Danny in the audience supporting her.’