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Who is Tabby Stoecker? Meet Strictly Come Dancing 2026 contestant and Olympian

She's conquered the Olympics, but can she handle Craig Revel Horwood?

A man and a woman dressed in black dancing the Argentine Tango on the Strictly dance floor.

BBC/Guy Levy

Published: Friday, 16 October 2026 at 1:15 pm

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Fresh from an unforgettable year in sport, Tabby Stoecker has swapped the skeleton track for the Strictly Come Dancing ballroom.

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After sitting comfortably in the middle of the pack for the first two weeks, the Olympic gold medallist, and professional partner Mark Karmalita, ended with a podium finish last weekend, coming in third place with 31 points!

Ahead of the launch show, Tabby said: "I am buzzing! But I will say it still genuinely feels like a dream, someone pinch me. I can’t comprehend that I’m actually going to be the person dancing in the sparkly dress and heels on the telly!"

But what is there to know about the Team GB star away from her sporting achievements? Here's everything you need to know about Tabby Stoecker ahead of her Strictly Come Dancing debut.

Who is Tabby Stoecker?

Tabby Stoecker smiling ahead with one hand on her hip. She is wearing a sparkly gold dress.

Tabby Stoecker. BBC/Ray Burmiston/BBC Creative

Age: 25

Job: Olympic athlete

Instagram: @tabbystoecker

Partner: Mark Karmalita

Tabby Stoecker is a highly decorated Team GB skeleton athlete, who famously won gold at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

Despite only making her international debut in the sport five years ago, Stoecker's long list of accolades also includes being a World Cup race winner, a double World Championship medallist, a European Championship medallist, and many more.

In her youth, Stoecker was a British schools gymnastics champion. She trained in skills like the trapeze, clowning and juggling before later studying at university in Cardiff.

"When I was about 11, one of my friends was doing an open day at the National Centre for Circus Arts in London, and I just went along with her," Stoecker told Olympics.com. "And having a background in gymnastics as a very young kid, I was really up for this whole circus skills thing."

"One of the coaches asked me to audition for a scheme they have, which was to help kids get really, really good circus training basically, and it was a very holistic approach."

Stoecker was accepted into the scheme and trained from the ages of 11 to 17, with 20 to 25 hours of training on top of school.

Tabby Stoecker's Strictly journey so far

Scoreboard

Week 1: Jive (4 + 6 + 5 + 7 = 22)

Week 2: American Smooth (7 + 7 + 7 + 7 = 28 = 50)

Week 3: Argentine Tango (8 + 8 + 7 + 8 = 31)

What has Tabby Stoecker said about Strictly Come Dancing?

A man and woman hold hands whilst dancing the American Smooth on the Strictly dance floor.

Tabby Stoecker and Mark Karmalita. BBC/Guy Levy

Speaking of why she signed up to do the series, Tabby said: "I wanted a new challenge! I’ve still got so much more to do in my sport but from when I turned 18 and discovered skeleton, my whole life has been spent doing the same thing, trying to master the same skills every single day.

"Of course that’s got me to an Olympic gold medal which I couldn’t be prouder of - but it also means I’ve not put myself out there in a long time, to go and learn something totally new and challenge myself in a different way, and that’s how we grow right? Strictly feels like such an opportunity to find out who I am outside of my sport and push myself!"

Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday 17 October at 6:15pm on BBC One and iPlayer.

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Authors

Black and white cut-out portrait headshot of Katelyn Mensah, smiling against a lime green background.

Katelyn MensahSenior Entertainment Writer

Katelyn Mensah is the Senior Entertainment Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.

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