Lacey Turner is set to take part in Strictly Come Dancing, taking advantage of an extended break from EastEnders to train for the new series before she returns to the soap as Stacey Slater.
That is why she is suddenly part of the whats on tv tonight conversation. At 38, Turner is using her time away from Albert Square to focus on parenting and learn the ropes of the Latin and ballroom competition, with a TV source saying Strictly bosses are delighted to have secured her for the series.
The same source said viewers will be eager to see her away from the Walford storyline that made her a household name, and that Turner feels now is the right moment to try something different before she steps back into EastEnders. The timing matters because she is training during the break she already has, rather than trying to fit the show around her soap schedule.
That is a sharper turn for Turner than it might first appear. Back in 2017, she said she had turned down an approach from Strictly because she was rubbish at dancing and did not really have the guts, even while admitting it was a great show because you learn a new skill. What has changed is not the challenge, but the timing: she now has the space to do it.
For now, the biggest unresolved point is whether an official announcement has been made and when it will come. If the move goes ahead, Turner will spend the coming weeks training for the competition before resuming her role in EastEnders, turning a long-held no into one of the show’s more intriguing possible signings.
Sarah Jayne Dunn has also been mentioned in the wider chatter about the next Strictly line-up, but Turner is the name drawing the clearest attention now because her involvement fits a real break in her working life, not just speculation.
