Dani Dyer: From Love Island to Strictly Come Dancing

TV personality said she feels ‘very, very blessed’ to be appearing on the show

Dani Dyer-Bowen first shot to fame for winning season four of Love Island in 2018.

The star gained popularity for her bubbly and down-to-earth persona, and viewers were invested in her relationship with fellow east Londoner, Jack Fincham, before the connection fizzled in the aftermath of the reality show.

Since then, the daughter of EastEnders star and straight-shooting actor Danny Dyer has stayed in the public eye, joining forces with her dad for podcast Live and Let Dyers and the Channel 4 travelogue series, Absolutely Dyer: Danny and Dani Do Italy.

The 29-year-old has also made guest appearances on Celebrity Gogglebox, Celebrity MasterChef and EastEnders.

Before her stint on Love Island, Dyer appeared on Survival of the Fittest in 2018, but withdrew from the series after one day, when she dislocated her shoulder.

She has fronted documentaries such as Is This Anxiety? in which she explored the topic of anxiety in motherhood after her first experience of childbirth. The show followed her second pregnancy with twins while unpacking issues around maternal mental health.

Dani Dyer was the second contestant announced on the show (BBC)

Dyer has also co-presented MTV dating show True Love or True Lies with her dad, which follows a group of couples as they attempt to withstand a series of tests to prove that they are the real deal.

As a child, she appeared in films including The Other Half (2006), Doghouse (2009), Run For Your Wife (2012) and Vendetta (2013) alongside her dad. Her other credits include small roles in We Still Kill the Old Way (2014), Age of Kill (2015), Bonded by Blood 2 (2017) and short films such as Asylum (2016) and Watch What I Do (2019).

Her private life has been subject to as much interest as her professional life. Before meeting Fincham in the villa, she was in a relationship with stockbroker Sammy Kimmence, with whom she reunited after her relationship with Fincham ended. However, Kimmence was later jailed for fraud, prompting Dyer to break up with him. In 2021, she gave birth to their son.

The actor was joined by his daughters Sunnie Jo Dyer (left) and Dani Dyer (right) (Ian West/PA)

In December 2021, she confirmed she was in a relationship with West Ham footballer Jarrod Bowen. She gave birth to twin daughters in May 2023.

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The couple announced their engagement in July 2024, eventually marrying at a ceremony in Buckinghamshire on 30 May this year. Her father, an avid football fan, gushed that he was “slightly in love” with the football captain himself.

She boasts over 3 million social media followers, and has shared insights into her worldview in her Sunday Times bestseller, What Would Dani Do? My Guide to Living Your Best Life (2019).

Dani Dyer Love Island (ITV)

“Getting the opportunity to be on Strictly is the second most amazing thing I’ve done this year!” she said of the news. “I feel very, very blessed and cannot wait to get my dancing shoes on.”

Speaking about her hopes for the show, she revealed she would love to dance to “Rewrite the Stars” from The Greatest Showman.

She admitted: “I’m absolutely petrified about dancing live on Saturday nights.” Dyer revealed that her mother-in-law is the most excited to see her on the show and will be in the audience cheering her on.