Nicola Adams Strictly Come Dancing: Everything you need to know as the Leeds boxing champion takes to the dancefloor

The programme will see this year’s celebrity contestants get paired with their professional partners, before they all take to the dance floor to perform a group routine.

Leeds legend Nicola Adams will take to the dance floor as part of the show’s first same-sex pairing.

Here is everything you need to know about her appearance on the show:

Who is Nicola Adams?

The 37-year-old boxer – nicknamed The Lioness – retired with an undefeated record and held the WBO female flyweight title last year.

She also became the first openly LGBT person to win an Olympic boxing gold medal, after her triumph at the 2012 Games in London.

Adams is dating Ella Baig and has been praised as an LGBT role model.

She has made a remarkable journey from the streets of Burmantofts to Olympic gold boxing champion and remains a sporting hero and inspiration to millions of women and girls around the world.

She is the Leeds lass whose glorious career accidentally started when she found herself in a Leeds boxing gym at the age of 12, when her mum went to aerobics and couldn’t get a babysitter, so took her along.

As a young girl she told her mum she would win a gold medal in the Olympics - when boxing wasn’t even an Olympic sport.

She went on to become the first woman to win gold at the London Olympics 2012 and four years later in Rio, she won gold again.

When did she retire?

The 37-year-old retired from the ring late last year, announcing the news in an exclusive open letter to the readers of the Yorkshire Evening Post.

She said: "Boxing has always been such an important part of my life - and it always will - but after training every day for over 20 years, my body is quite looking forward to a rest!"

Who is her dancing partner?

Adams was the sixth celebrity contestant confirmed for Strictly Come Dancing 2020.

Her debut on the show marks the first time a same-sex couple has competed in Strictly.

She has been photographed leaving Strictly rehearsals with professional dancer Katya Jones, who was partnered last year with sports presenter Mike Bushell.

Johannes Radebe and fellow professional Graziano di Prima made history when they performed together on the BBC show last year.

When can I watch Strictly?

Strictly Come Dancing is set to return to television screens tonight for its launch show.

This year’s series will be shorter than usual due to the pandemic.

Judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Shirley Ballas will return to the panel this year.

Bruno Tonioli will initially be absent from the Saturday night panel because he is in the US as a judge on Dancing With The Stars.

However he will join remotely for the Sunday night results show and is due to return full-time towards the end of the series, the BBC has said.

The show will take place in front of a much-reduced live audience.

Coronavirus measures also mean that while couples will be in close quarters with each other during rehearsals and performances, they will socially distance from other contestants.

Either the professional dancer or the celebrity will also be living on their own for the duration of the series as they form an exclusive support bubble.

Strictly Come Dancing will air at 7.50pm on Saturday on BBC One.

Who are the other contestants?

Among this year’s contestants are former home secretary Jacqui Smith, comedian Bill Bailey and actress Caroline Quentin.

They are joined by DJ Clara Amfo, BBC pundit and former NFL star Jason Bell, former Royal Marine and Invictus Games medallist JJ Chalmers, soap star Maisie Smith and Good Morning Britain’s Ranvir Singh.

Reality star Jamie Laing, The Wanted’s Max George and YouTube star HRVY, real name Harvey Leigh Cantwell, will also compete.