Groves: 'I'm going on Strictly journey'

Former EastEnders star Ricky Groves has claimed that he is looking forward to going on a "personal journey" on Strictly Come Dancing.

Groves, who played Garry Hobbs in the BBC One soap, will partner Erin Boag on the reality show. He will compete against fellow ex-EastEnders actress Natalie Cassidy and follows in the footsteps of soap stars Letitia Dean, Matt Di Angelo and Louisa Lytton.

However, the actor said that he had not contacted the former contestants, arguing that everyone's experiences on the show would be different.

"The whole thing is a personal journey and I don't think other contestants can advise you on that," he told DS. "They had their journeys and it will have been different for each of them and it will be different for me."

Speaking about his dance experience, he said: "I've done a little bit at drama school, but it was a lot smaller scale stuff. This is going to be hard work. I'll put in the hours though - and dare I say it - we could end up going all the way. There's no point doing it if you're not in it to win it.

"I'm an actor and an entertainer, as you may or many not know, and this will hopefully be another string to my bow. Learning to dance with a professional - what could be better than that!"

Strictly returns on Friday, September 18 to BBC One.