Strictly Come Dancing has unveiled its 14th and 15th contestants for the upcoming season - former footballer Karen Carney and Game of Thrones star Kristian Nairn. The thrilling announcement was made on Friday (August 15) on BBC Radio 2, with presenter Gary Davies confirming that both Karen and Kristian will be gracing the dance floor next month. Joining a star-studded line-up including Dani Dyer, George Clarke, Balvinder Sopal, and Vicky Pattison, the two celebrities are set to add some extra sparkle to this year's edition of Strictly , which is due to start on September 12 on BBC One. During Friday's mid-morning show on Radio 2, usually hosted by Vernon Kay, Gary was first joined by an excited Karen, 38, live on-air as she chatted about her new television endeavour. When asked how she felt about participating in the BBC One show, she responded: "Nerve-wracking, but I'm so excited. Obviously football I retired six years ago, so this is something new to me. But, huge fan of the show so I can't wait! "Now it's out, which is a relief to get it out there and say I'm going to be on the show! I'm mega excited!" Since retiring from professional football in 2019, Karen has established a successful media career, regularly broadcasting live football and writing sports columns, reports Edinburgh Live . She played for Birmingham City, Arsenal, Chicago Red Stars, and Chelsea during her professional career, as well as representing England. She is the second most capped England player behind Jill Scott, and also represented Team GB at the 2012 Olympics. Shortly after the announcement of Karen's Strictly journey, Gary was joined by actor Kristian on BBC Radio 2, who revealed he too will be hitting the dance floor next month. The 49-year-old is most recognised for his role as Hodor in HBO's Game of Thrones. He confessed that he'd been keeping the news under wraps for a "few weeks" before revealing why he decided to sign up. "It's such an amazing show, I love dancing, I love music and I love movement," he shared with Gary. "I really saw it as a chance to get back into that, because it's been a long time." Kristian also featured in Our Flag Means Death, and has a side gig as a DJ. Strictly Come Dancing is available to watch on BBC iPlayer