The People's Strictly - meet the contestants

Now, for the first time in its year 11-year history, six members of the general public are set to become the new stars of the show.

Chosen for their tireless charity work, they’ll be competing to be crowned champ for a special four-part series in honour of Comic Relief.

But before they get sequinned up and strut their stuff in front of millions of viewers, meet the lucky six…

Anna Kennedy, Uxbridge

Self-confessed Strictly obsessive, Anna thought she was simply enjoying a night out when she made her way to a recording of the show, and was stunned when her name was read out as one of the six chosen to take part in The People’s Strictly. “This is a dream for me. I started tap dancing when I was six and love the way dance makes you feel,” said the 54-year-old, who will be dancing the Charleston with Robin Windsor.

Anna, whose two sons – Patrick, 24, and Angelo, 20 – were both diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorders as children – raised funds with her husband Sean to open the specialist Hillingdon Manor School in 1999, after their boys were turned away from 26 mainstream schools. She’s since set up an autism awareness charity and a respite home for adults, too.

“I’m fighting for women in their 50s,” she added of her Strictly efforts. “I used to think you were past it by then, and I want to prove I’ve still got the energy and can do it.”

Phil Barnett, Cornwall

Former hairdresser Phil admits being chosen for The People’s Strictly is “one of the best things that’s ever happened to me”.

After organising a fundraising concert with local children 20 years ago, the amateur-dramatics enthusiast set up a theatre for disadvantaged kids. “You see them change, and how it gives them confidence for life. It’s not about whether or not they go onto the West End, but how they grow up,” he said.

Phil, 54, will be dancing the American Smooth with Janette Manrara – but it hasn’t all been smooth sailing for the pair, as Phil was injured during his first training session. “I tore my cartilage in my right knee, but I’ve been telling the kids for years, ‘Shut up, get on with it and do it!’ So I’m going to do my best.

“In a couple of weeks, I have to dance in front of millions of people. Who gets the chance to do this?” he added. “There are six of us out of thousands, so I’m going to drink in every minute.”

Trishna Bharadia, Buckinghamshire

Trishna was at a Zumba class when she found out she’d been selected, although she was confused at first, when everybody in the room started pairing off to the side, leaving her standing alone in the middle of the hall.

“When everyone dispersed, I thought I’d missed some sort of instruction, so I was going to stand by the wall,” recalled Trishna, 35. “Then Louis Smith and Natalie Lowe came out. It was the most surreal feeling. You never think something like that’s going to happen. I still have to keep pinching myself!”

Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2008, she has since worked hard to help others with the condition. “I’m taking plenty of rest breaks, but that’s how I run my life,” added Trishna, who’ll be tackling the jive, one of the most energetic dances, with Aljaz Skorjanec – something she’s quite pleased about… “Who doesn’t find him attractive? I almost rugby tackled him when I saw him!”

Michael Pattie, Dumfries

Michael, 57, will be dancing the Tango with Aliona Vilani. It’s not so much the steps he’s having trouble perfecting, however, but the brooding expressions.

“I have to be mean and aggressive, and I’m finding that a bit tough!” said Michael, who’ll be performing in memory of his son Dave, who died, aged 13, from meningitis in 1999.

“He’d be laughing at me, absolutely,” added the Scotsman who, since Dave’s death, has fund-raised for the Meningitis Research Foundation.

Michael is pleased his dance partner has been “tough”, helping him master those steps, but he is slightly concerned about what his friends will make of his Strictly makeover. “My mates are going to have cannon fodder for donkey’s years!”

Heather Parson, Southampton

Heather was on a trip to the supermarket when she discovered she’d been picked for Strictly.

“My friend got me there under the pretext of helping me buy a present for her daughter, and then all these shop assistants started dancing. I thought, ‘What’s happening to me?!’” recalled the 53-year-old, who will be doing the Viennese Waltz with Ian Waite.

Heather contracted the flesh-eating bug, necrotising fasciitis, while on holiday in 2002 with her son Will, now 20. “I went into septic shock and everything started to shut down,” she explained. Despite having just a 30 per cent chance of survival, she pulled through and went on to set up Where There’s A Will, a charity which supports intensive care patients and their families.

“The Christmas before it happened, Will said, ‘You’re my favourite present because you’ll never break and never go away’, and then in the April, I was dying,” Heather recalled. “That’s part of why I fought so hard to be with him,” added the proud mum, who confessed she was dancing “around the house a lot” in preparation for her Strictly stint.

Cassidy Little, Peterborough

Cassidy doesn’t only have his professional partner Natalie Lowe on hand to help hone his Paso Doble, he also has his wife. “She comes to some of the rehearsals, and then in the evening, she’ll give me a few tips, as she’s a dancer herself,” said the 33-year-old Canadian, who’s lived in the UK for 10 years.

The former Royal Marine medic lost his right leg below the knee during a tour of Afghanistan in 2011. An avid dancer before that, his first words after losing his leg were, ‘Well, there goes my tap-dancing days’.

“The assumption is, recovery happens after injury, and then once recovery’s over, it’s all better. But I will spend the rest of my life adapting to the world I knew,” he said. “Since being injured, I’ve done some incredible things, and this is another incredible experience, which just pulls me along that pathway.”

He’s embraced the Strictly transformation – including the fake tan. “It’s a guilty pleasure now. I’ve also had my eyebrows plucked, and I’m happy with that.”

Being bossed about in rehearsals hasn’t been so easy, though. “I’m a Royal Marine, I’m not supposed to be led!” he teased. “I’m supposed to constantly be thinking three ranks above me, so that’s what I’m doing. I’m thinking at the level of a choreographer.”

The Road To People’s Strictly

:: The first two programmes introduce the six contestants, as they’re surprised by the news that they’ve been picked and set off on their Strictly journey.

:: In episode three, the contestants visit Craig Revel Horwood on the set of the Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour and enjoy a makeover day.

:: In the fourth show, all six contestants compete in the Strictly Come Dancing ballroom, as they vie for the judges’ scores and viewers’ votes.

:: Voting lines will open once all couples have danced. The judges’ scores will be for guidance only, as the public will have the deciding vote.

:: The winner will be crowned The People’s Strictly Champion as part of the live Red Nose Day night of TV, on BBC One on Friday, March 13.

:: The People’s Strictly For Comic Relief begins on BBC One tonight (February 25).