JB Gill, best known as a member of boyband JLS, is one of the contestants on this year's Strictly Come Dancing line-up. It won't be his first time taking to the hallowed ballroom, as he secured first place in the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special in 2012, earning a near-perfect 39 out of 40 for his jive to Rockin' Robin with Ola Jordan.
'I danced in the Strictly Christmas special over a decade ago and loved it, so when I got the call to join Strictly this year, it was an immediate yes from me,' JB said when the news was announced. 'I’m raring to go and looking forward to showing off some new skills to the JLS boys. From muddy wellies on the fields of my farm to sequins and glitterballs - I’m here to embrace it all!'
JB - who will be a contestant alongside the likes of Chris McCausland - continued, 'I do feel like a lot of the routines, a lot of the styles, especially the ballroom styles, are again very alien to me. I was not a trained dancer. I didn't go to stage school growing up, so it's gonna be a learning curve as well.'
Despite not knowing it was the 20th anniversary when he signed up, it was an 'incredible' realisation for JB. He says, 'I’ve followed the show for many years, and my Mum has always been a massive fan, so I’ve grown up with it just as much as anybody else. Now, it’s nice to be able to do it and share the experience with my kids as well.'
Has he been eyeing up any competition? 'I haven’t been paying too much attention to it. I know Jamie [Borthwick]’s very good – he’s definitely got some twinkle in those toes. And Tasha [Ghouri] I think will be impressive too. Shayne [Ward]’s a dark horse, he’s got some movement in those hips. I’m just going to take each week as it comes.'
JB's JLS bandmates and best friends Marvin Humes, Aston Merrygold and Oritsé Williams wasted no time commenting on the exciting news, writing underneath the Instagram announcement, 'Time to put that left, right, left, right, up, down to use,' referring to the fan-favourite dance routine to their 2011 number one single, She Makes Me Wanna.
Want to know more about JB before he hopes to replicate his pop star prowess on the dancefloor? Look no further.
Who is JB Gill?
JB, 37, was born in Croydon in December 1986. He was heavily involved with music growing up, but took a back seat when he was encouraged by his school to concentrate on rugby instead. Before long, he reverted back to singing and took up vocal coaching, which is when JLS founder Oritsé contacted him to audition for the band - who were originally called UFO. JB did briefly attend King's College London, but dropped out to focus on pursuing a music career.
JB found fame with Marvin, Aston and Oritsé in 2008 when JLS finished as runners-up to Alexandra Burke on The X Factor. Their discography comprises of five studio albums and a slew of popular singles, including their catchy debut, Beat Again and the slower-paced Love You More. The group disbanded in 2013 but only waited six years to delight fans with their comeback.
A year after JLS split up, JB became the first and only member to dabble in a solo career when he appeared on the single Best Night OML with Charlie Hedges. Over the years, he has made numerous appearances on TV competitions, including Celebrity Masterchef, The Jump and Dance Dance Dance, and has presented CBeebies's Down on the Farm since 2015.
JB Gill's life on the farm
In 2012, JB and his wife Chloe Tangney relocated to the Kent countryside after buying a £1.5 million, 13-acre farm in Sevenoaks, where they are raising their two children. Their smallholding produces award-winning KellyBronze turkeys and free-range Tamworth pork.
JB has explained why a rural setting appeals more to him than an urban lifestyle, saying, 'I’d often heard it said that growing up on a farm is second to none. It was one of the reasons why I wanted my own young family to establish our roots in the countryside, despite having spent most of my life living in a city.
'We are able to feel part of a relatively close-knit community, something I always experienced growing up but which has become more and more unusual within society these days. We can get lost for hours in our bluebell woods or, when it’s warmer, take picnics as a family in the long grass.'
JB Gill's wife and family
JB met his wife Chloe Tangney in 2008 when she performed as a backing dancer for JLS. They married six years later and have two children together, a nine-year-old son Ace, and a daughter Chiara who recently turned six.
Last November, Chloe marked 15 years since she and JB first met, writing, '19-year-old Chloe standing with 21-year-old JB.
'You have your arms wrapped around your husband! That smile on your face is real and the connection you felt that day is the start of something that will last forever. He will become the closest person to you! He will go through the next 15 years with you and it won’t be easy but you will become the best of friends. You will go through lots of hardship, go through the scariest of times but those will be outweighed by the happiest of times. The love you have for each other will be tested on EVERY level but you will keep pushing through, never giving up. You will become the best and closest team and have an unbreakable bond! You will have two beautiful children to give you so much joy so don’t ever give up on each other and keep the love every single day.
'Happy anniversary JB Gill - one in a million. So glad we met all those years ago. Love you!'
The Gill family won their first Royal Television Society award earlier this year for Cooking With the Gills, which scooped Best Children's TV Show. The Milkshake production, 'follows popular presenter and farmer JB Gill and his family, as they enlist the help of young cooks from around the UK to help cook a wide range of delicious recipes to serve in their rural pop-up kitchen cafe'.
The couple also performed together on Dance Dance Dance in 2017, where they finished third. JB reflected, 'It was interesting doing that show because [Chloe] comes from that background where she's been trained to do what she's done and achieving some incredible things. And I was almost bringing up the rear, kind of dragging us along. But actually working with her was brilliant.'
Supporting her husband in his new venture, Chloe wrote, 'The news is OUT! We are SO excited for you to be a part of this year's Strictly Come Dancing. We will be right behind you supporting you all the way! Love you Jb Gill #TeamJB #TheGills #strictly2024 #letsgo'.
Millie Payne is a News and Entertainment Writer for Grazia. She has specialised in showbiz interviews, features, articles and roundups for over three years and loves combining her love for writing, talking and all things popular culture.