Westlife's Byrne joining Strictly

Former Westlife star Nicky Byrne confirmed he is to step off his stool and take to the floor as a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing.

The Irish singer, whose group split earlier this year after a 14-year career, will be on the BBC1 show when it launches on September 15.

He and the rest of the band rarely had to trouble themselves with dance routines as they famously performed their string of 14 number one hits while perched on stools or while standing.

Nicky, 33, confirmed his appearance while appearing as a guest on BBC1's The One Show.

Speaking about his involvement with the hit dance series, Byrne said: "It feels strange. I mean I'm excited, scared to death. Most of my dance career has been spent sitting on a stool with Westlife."

After One Show presenter Alex Jones pointed out that their routines largely involved simply getting off their stools, he joked: "We perfected that, I would say."

He admitted he was already a bit daunted by the costumes they will need to wear for the show.

Byrne said: "We were over last week and we met all the contestants and we met all the wardrobe girls who had plenty of fun putting some stuff on us. They made us put on this sequinned diamante vest, with no material only diamantes and I thought you're never going to see me in that."

Actress Dani Harmer, star of the BBC's Tracey Beaker drama, has already been confirmed as a contestant on the show, as has Daybreak's Richard Arnold.

Others understood to be taking part include Johnny Ball and ex-cricketer Michael Vaughan, while Olympic track cycling star Victoria Pendleton is thought to have been in discussions and has expressed an interest in appearing on the show. Many of the stars have already been in rehearsals, ahead of the full line-up being announced early next week.