Who is Richie Anderson?

RICHIE Anderson is best known for his radio stints on Radio 2.

On August 2, 2023, it was announced that he had joined the lineup of Celebrity MasterChef.

Who is Richie Anderson?

Richie Anderson is a TV and radio personality who works for the BBC.

He is a former Sunday League footballer who played for Coombs Wood FC.

Richie has appeared on a string of BBC TV shows including The Weakest Link and The One Show.

He was also part of BBC1’s presenting team for coverage of the Platinum Jubilee’s Party at the Palace.

What is he known for?

Richie presents the travel reports on weekday mornings on Radio 2.

He's known for his banter with presenters Zoe Ball and Ken Bruce - as well as always getting maximum points on PopMaster.

He’s also been a guest reviewer on Strictly: It Takes Two, and first met Zoe when she was getting ready to present the show.

In 2020, Richie joined fellow presenters Jo Whiley and Kate Bottley in completing three triathlons in three days to raise money for Sport Relief.

Richie, who was brought up in Smethwick, near Birmingham, is active on social media.

You can follow him on Instagram @iamrichieanderson and on Twitter @richie_anderson.

Is Richie married and does he have children?

In 2018, Richie came out as gay to his teammates after playing a game of football.

It was part of a film for The One Show, highlighting the pressures of homophobia in the sport.

Richie has been with his partner Dean Eagles since 2012.

When did he take part in Strictly?

On August 5, 2022, Richie shocked presenter Zoe on Radio 2 by announcing that he would be taking part in Strictly 2022.

Speaking to the BBC he said: "I don’t know anything at the moment, but I can confirm that I will be doing the all-male partnership, which is just so incredible."

He added that the bosses of Strictly gave him the choice of dancing with a man or a woman, but his partner Dean told him he had to dance with a man.

However, his journey on the show was cut short as he was the second contestant to leave to the competition on October 9, 2022.

Richie and his dance partner Giovanni Pernice danced the samba to Hakuna Matata from The Lion King.

The pair received 27 points, which meant they were placed eighth on the leaderboard.

And after an intense dance-off against Fleur East and her dance partner Vito Coppola, it was Richie and Giovanni who said goodbye to the dance floor for good.

Speaking about his Strictly experience, Richie said: "Do you know what as a strictly fan I always thought it was a magical thing to be a part of, and being here it really is.

"And it’s not just the people that you see on camera, the judges, and you [Tess Daly] and Claud and the amazing people that I’ve got to meet on this show.

"The people behind the scenes in hair, make up, costume, Tasha our runner, Stef, Jas, everybody. I also want to thank this guy [Giovanni] as well, he’s been so amazing, and i feel so lucky that I’ve got to dance with you every day.

"Not only are you a fantastic dancer but you are also a fantastic guy on top of that.

"I want to thank all my family and friends and my other half Dean who is in the audience, I love you so much.”