George Clarke: Influencer swapping YouTube for the dancefloor on Strictly

The social media star has more than 3 million fans online

British YouTube star and podcaster George “Clarkey” Clarke was the sixth contestant announced for this year’s Strictly Come Dancing competition.

Clarke, 25, said he was preparing to “fall over a fair bit”, adding: “Never thought I’d say this… but I’m doing Strictly! Honestly, I’ve got no idea what I’m doing but I’m excited to get stuck in.”

Born in 1999 and raised in Bristol, Clarke has emerged as one of the UK’s most prominent young online influencers, building a following of more than 3 million fans across numerous platforms.

After graduating from Exeter University, Clarke launched his TikTok account. His content typically sees him doing commentary and comedy sketches on topics such as entertainment, gaming and trends.

In November 2022, Clarke launched The Useless Hotline Podcast alongside fellow TikTok star Max Balegde. The podcast follows a “phone-in/advice” format, where listeners send in questions, dilemmas or stories, which Clarke and Balegde attempt to answer with humour and honesty.

He has also collaborated with the YouTube superstars the Sidemen, which includes Britain’s Got Talent judge KSI, on several projects such as their Netflix reality competition series Inside.

Clarke joked ‘I’ve got no idea what I’m doing’ when he was confirmed for ‘Strictly’ (BBC)

In addition to his video work, Clarke is an ambassador for the non-profit organisation Encephalitis International, which supports those who suffer from brain inflammation, which his mother has been diagnosed with.

In his personal life, Clarke is dating model Yasmin Bennett. Earlier this year, he told fans on a livestream: “I've been seeing someone for a little while, it's been official for about a month and a half.

“I've always said I don't want it to be, if I did have a relationship, I wouldn't want it to be a public thing,” he added. "But I feel like it's just a nicer feeling to have it be known and be private. As opposed to it being a complete secret,” he admitted.

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Clarke is the third YouTuber to compete on Strictly, following in the footsteps of Joe Sugg and Saffron Barker.

Sugg competed on the 2018 edition of the show and finished as a runner-up with his dance partner Dianne Buswell.

Barker joined the following year and was paired with AJ Pritchard. She was the ninth celebrity to be eliminated.