Ed Balls set to dazzle audiences with Strictly Come Dancing appearance

Fifteen months after he was waltzed off stage by the voters of Morley and Outwood, Ed Balls is set to make his comeback with an appearance Strictly Come Dancing.

The former shadow Chancellor is set to compete in the dancing show this autumn, alongside singer Will Young, actress Lesley Joseph, former royal butler Paul Burrell and TV presenter Laura Whitmore.

Balls, who also served as Education Secretary, will take part in the knock-out competition, according to The Mirror, after brushing aside rumours he would appear on the programme last year.

He follows in the quicksteps of former Tory MPs Edwina Currie and Anne Widdecombe, both of whom have graced the dance floor for Strictly, as well as Sir Vince Cable, who took part in the show’s Christmas special

Since Balls’ exit from Parliament, he has appeared on the Great British Bake Off, as well as chairing Norwich City football club, which is an unpaid position.

He has also been appointed visiting professor at the policy institute at Kings College London, where he teaches on economic history since 1945.

His memoir of serving in the New Labour government, Speaking Out – Lessons in Life and Politics, comes out this September.