'Strictly' 2010 pro lineup confirmed

[dutchman]

Three new males have joined the professional dancers lineup for the 2010 series of Strictly Come Dancing.

Latin champion and US So You Think You Can Dance graduate Artem Chigvintsev, 21-year-old High School Musical dancer and Swing Youth winner Jared Murillo, and Burn The Floor star Robin Windsor will all join the Strictly family for the eighth series.

There will be 14 celebrities in this year's ballroom competition, but the professionals without a partner will still be part of the show in a new 'dance group'.

Featuring Brian Fortuna, Darren Bennett, Lilia Kopylova, Ian Waite and Matthew Cutler, the troupe are to be joined by fellow professionals each week, depending on the style of dance that they perform.

Competing alongside the celebrities this year will be new additions Chigvintsev, Murillo and Windsor alongside Anton Du Beke, Brendan Cole, James Jordan and Vincent Simone. The female pros will be Ola Jordan, Flavia Cacace, Erin Boag, Kristina Rihanoff, Natalie Lowe, Aliona Vilani and Katya Virshilas.

BBC controller of entertainment commissioning Mark Linsey said: "Strictly will be back this autumn with more world-class dancers and more spectacular dancing than ever before.

"I'm delighted to be welcoming three new fantastic dancers to Strictly and am really excited about the introduction of a professional dance group, giving us even more opportunities to feature different areas of expertise and more genres of dance than in any other series."

Strictly returns in the autumn to BBC One.