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Strictly Come Dancing is back on our screens with a fresh batch of famous faces hoping to shimmy their way to the coveted Glitterball Trophy at the end of the series.

The BBC competition first twirled onto our screens back in 2004 and has since seen a host of stars, from BBC Breakfast hosts to adored celebrities, take to the famous dance floor.

This year's Strictly excitement has prompted us to reminisce about some of the other big names from telly who have previously strutted their stuff on the BBC Ballroom and Latin competition.

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Here are nine past participants who may have slipped your mind.

Kate Garraway

Good Morning Britain's Kate Garraway partnered with the King of Ballroom himself, Anton du Beke, for the fifth series of Strictly in 2007. Despite nursing an ankle injury just before the show kicked off, the tenacious TV presenter soldiered on.

While her Latin and ballroom routines didn't rack up the highest scores, seldom surpassing 20, she won over the audience and viewers, who voted her through to week seven without a single dreaded dance-off.

Fern Britton

Morning telly legend Fern Britton took a spin on the Strictly dance floor for its tenth series in 2012, two years after appearing in the Christmas Special.

Fern was paired with former champion Artem Chigvintsev, and they made a brilliant pair, mastering Latin and ballroom classics such as the American smooth, the Charleston, and the salsa.

Despite mixed reviews from the judges, the public were clearly smitten and voted her through until week six.

Matt Baker

Many Strictly enthusiasts might have forgotten that the former The One Show host once swapped his suit for sequins in the BBC contest.

The ex-Blue Peter presenter waltzed into the ballroom in 2010 for the eighth series, partnering with Aliona Vilani. The pair consistently dazzled the judges, often scoring well into the 30s.

Matt and Aliona's samba, packed with snake-hipping moves, earned a near-perfect score in week eight at the Blackpool Tower ballroom. They reprised it in the final, where they were runners-up to Kara Tointon and Artem Chigvintsev.

Naga Munchetty

In 2016, BBC Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty teamed up with Pasha Kovalev for the fourteenth series of Strictly.

Sadly, her journey was cut short after she was eliminated third, failing to survive the dance-off.

Aston Merrygold

JLS singer Aston Merrygold took part in the fifteenth series of Strictly in 2017.

Aston was paired with Janette Marara and quickly became favourites to win but, unfortunately, after falling short in the dance off in week 6, the pair were sent home by the judges.

Aston's shock exit sent shockwaves as he and Janette were sent home over Mollie King and her professional partner AJ Pritchard.

Alex Jones

Beloved telly personality and The One Show host, Alex Jones, strutted her stuff in the ninth series of Strictly in 2011. The Welsh TV presenter was paired with former show professional James Jordan.

The duo quickly won over fans, making it all the way to the semi-finals in week 11.

They performed two dances, a waltz and a salsa, before being knocked out in the dance-off.

Despite just missing out on the Glitterball trophy, they earned impressive scores from the judges, consistently scoring eights and nines throughout the competition.

Carol Vorderman

Countdown's Carol Vorderman laced up her dancing shoes in 2004 for the second series of the BBC show. Teamed with professional dancer Paul Killick, the maths whizz dazzled audiences with a waltz in week one and a rhumba in week two.

However, it was her rhumba performance that led to a lower score and the pair were voted off in the second week.

James Martin

TV chef James Martin hit the Strictly dance floor in 2005 for the third series, partnered with Camilla Dallerup. The Saturday Kitchen presenter and his professional partner formed a strong duo and were even rumoured.

During the show, there were rumours of a romantic involvement. His strength seemed to lie in ballroom dancing, as evidenced by his foxtrot score of 33, his highest-scoring dance.

While James didn't always receive top marks from the judges, the pair were popular with viewers and made it to week nine, becoming semi-finalists.

Rachel Stevens

S Club 7's Rachel Stevens appeared on the sixth series of the BBC show in 2008, partnering with Vincent Simone. It seems her S Club dance routine training paid dividends for the former pop star, as they consistently received high scores from the judges, including perfect 10s for their rhumba, foxtrot and Argentine tango.

The audience loved her just as much as the judges, voting her through to the final. Although she narrowly missed out on the top spot to winner Tom Chambers, she certainly left her mark as a true Strictly star and a deserving runner-up.

Strictly Come Dancing returns Saturday on BBC One and BBC iPlayer

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