An EastEnders star, who appeared in a Channel 5 show that was later axed earlier, has been confirmed as the fifth celebrity to be joining Strictly Come Dancing’s Christmas special
EastEnders star Tamzin Outhwaite, who played the role of Mel Owen in the hit BBC soap, will be joining Strictly Come Dancing’s Christmas special, it has been announced. It comes after the actress, 54, starred in Channel 5’s drama The Wives, which was brutally axed after just one series.
Five years after waving goodbye to Albert Square, Tamzin will once again grace the BBC for Strictly’s Christmas special. During It Takes Two on Wednesday, 20 November, Tamzin was confirmed as the fifth celebrity to be joining this year’s festive line-up and will be paired with professional dancer Nikita Kuzmin.
Sharing her delight to be joining the Strictly special, Tamzin said: “I’m so excited to swap the stage for the Strictly Ballroom this Christmas. I’m used to performing in front of a live audience, but this is a whole new experience. I can’t wait to immerse myself in all things glitter and sequins, let’s hope the judges show Nikita and I some extra festive cheer this Christmas!”
Other stars confirmed for the BBC festive special include Gladiator Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, presenter Vogue Williams, drag star Tayce and comedian Josh Widdicombe. The final contestant for the show will be announced later this week as they get ready to compete for the iconic Christmas Glitterball trophy.
Tamzin first arrived on Albert Square in 1998 where she remained for four years until April 2002. In 2006, she revealed that she hadn’t ruled out a return to EastEnders and in 2018 reprised her role before her character was killed off in November 2019.
Earlier this year, she returned to our screens as Sylvia Morgan in Channel 5’s drama The Wives, which was filmed in Malta. The series, which also starred Jo Joyner and Angela Griffin, followed three sisters-in-law, each with their own complicated lives, as they dealt with the loss of another family member, Annabelle (portrayed by Christine Bottomley).
In a twist no one expected, it was revealed Annabelle had faked her demise, leaving audiences to untangle who really wanted to take her out. Despite its solid ratings, viewers were left bewildered that the unsettled storylines, which played out over six episodes, would remain forever unresolved as the show was unexpectedly axed.
The cast reportedly received the surprising news via phone calls earlier this month, despite the scripts for more episodes already being written. A source claimed: “It came as a shock because the ratings were around a million and scripts had already been written for more episodes, in confident anticipation of series two.”
The source added that there was an alternate ending prepared, which could have settled all the burning questions, yet Channel 5 chose not to use it. “One of the endings the regular cast shot explained exactly what had happened to the missing sister-in-law Annabelle and the part played in her disappearance by the other sisters-in-law, played by Jo Joyner, Angela Griffin and Tamzin Outhwaite,” the source said.
“It also explained the involvement of Annabelle’s brother-in-law Frankie, played by Ghosts star Ben Willbond.” They added: “But the ending that was actually shown didn’t explain why Frankie wanted Annabelle dead or the identity of the mystery figure hiding in the van in the final scene, something that was crucial to an understanding of the entire plot.”, reports the Mirror.
