Blind competitor on Strictly thrills visually impaired ballroom dancers

Chris McCausland's inclusion in hit TV show promotes awareness around what people can do', say dancers

The BBC has unveiled the first two contestants for its next series of Strictly Come Dancing, one of whom will be the show's first ever blind star.

The comic Chris McCausland's inclusion in the show has thrilled the small but dedicated community of visually impaired ballroom dancers, who are already celebrating the inclusion of a category for visually impaired dancers at the prestigious Open World international dance competition in Blackpool for the first time.