Ed Balls to become first male politician to sign up for Strictly Come Dancing
Former Labour shadow chancellor could be setting his sights on the Glitterball trophy
ED Balls is set to quickstep his way onto the next series of Strictly Come Dancing, according to reports.
The former Labour shadow chancellor would be the first male politician to take part in the main BBC One dance competition, following in the not-so-nimble footsteps of Edwina Currie and Ann Widdecombe.
The current rumour isn't the first time the 49-year-old has been linked to the show, which is hosted by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, as he was reportedly in the running last year after he lost his seat as an MP in the general election.
However his wife Yvette Cooper ruled out the move, joking at a press lunch it would conflict with "filming in the jungle" but Ed didn't appear on I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here either.
Ed is known in political circles for being a keen dancer, having busted some moves at a number of Labour Party conferences, and an appearance on the show would also coincide with the release of his memoirs, Speaking Out - Lessons in Life and Politics, which will be on book shelves from September.
Fans of the show were quick to take to Twitter over the rumours, with one tweeting: "The news of Ed Balls appearing on this year's Strictly has cheered me up."
Another joked: "WARNING! Once Ed Balls in spangly Lycra is seen it cannot be unseen!!"
While Ed would be the first male politician to take part in the main series of Strictly, he would follow in the footsteps of Liberal Democrat Sir Vince Cable, who appeared on the Christmas Special in 2010.
Meanwhile Edwina, 69, was the first to be eliminated from the 2011 series, but Ann, 68, made it all the way to week 10 with dance partner Anton du Beke.