The Circle Celebrity cast line up revealed for new Channel 4 series

The line up of celebrity contestants on The Celebrity Circle have been confirmed.

It was announced earlier this year that The Circle will return for a third series in 2021 together with a first ever Celebrity special.

The Celebrity Circle, as part of Channel 4’s Stand Up To Cancer campaign, will air from Tuesday, 9 March at 9:15PM.

The Celebrity Circle cast of celebrities

Those taking part as either individuals or duos are:

Actress, singer and dancer Denise van Outen

Denise says: “I’m so excited! I can’t wait. It’s going to be so much fun. I’m looking forward to it. I like the show anyway. I caught Richard Madeley on it the last time I was watching, and I thought it was really fun, so yeah, just can’t wait to get started.”

YouTuber Saffron Barker

Says Saffron: “I’m really excited. I feel a bit nervous because I’ve never lived on my own before, I still live with my family. So it’s going to be like such a strange experience, like not only am I not going to be in touch with everybody in the outside world, it’s going to be the first time living alone. So I’m nervous and excited.”

Loose Women stars Nadia Sawalha and Kaye Adams

Says Kaye: “Given that 2020 was a year you had to slog your way through, I felt I just wanted to do something different, to sort of jog myself out of a pretty negative mindset. It sounded a lot of fun. For me, it was a brilliant way to get locked in a small space with Nadia and have her cook for me for a week, so as far as I’m concerned, I’ve got a private chef for a week, so it’s a win/win!

“It’s something different, something fun, something out of our normal kind of comfort zone, and we both felt that we wanted to take a leap into something.”

Adds Nadia: “It’s so exiting to really think about what we’re going to do, and how we’re going to play it! I love the idea of playing somebody else and hanging out with Kaye, we are like two mischievous sisters. I also love social media. I love it. For a long while, I was one of those, ‘What’s all this social media rubbish?’ And, now, it’s a huge part of my life.0

“I have a very busy Instagram and YouTube channel with all sorts of things going on including my family reality show, so whenever I’m not at Loose Women, I’m working on my social media seven days a week. I’m just fascinated by it.”

Geordie Shore’s Charlotte Crosby

Charlotte says of joining The Circle: “I’m so excited. I am such a huge fan of The Circle. I just love TV, I’m one of those people who has seen every single reality show. Everyone’s like, ‘Are you watching Selling Sunset? Are you watching this?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’ve watched them all.’

“I am obsessed with TV. You know when you meet people and they’re like, ‘I just don’t watch TV.’ I’m like, ‘Why?’ How could you not watch TV? It’s my favourite thing to do.”

Drag Race UK star Baga Chipz

Says Baga: “Oh, my God. Do you know what? Sometimes I’m like, ‘What are you letting yourself in for, Baga? What are you letting yourself in for?’ But at the end of the day, I’ve been given an amazing opportunity. I’m new to the game, but I might be one of the most famous women in Britain at the moment!

“Since Drag Race, I’ve been given all these opportunities and I was just like, ‘You know what? I’m actually a fan of that show.’ I haven’t got to eat creepy crawlies or I haven’t got to do intense fitness workouts. So I was like, basically I’ll be sitting on my ass trying to catfish people.”

Rapper Lady Leshurr

Lady Leshurr says: “It’s crazy, really. My emotions are all over the place. I’m a bit nervous, but at the same time, I’m quite excited. I’m looking forward to giving TV the entertainment that they’ve been dying for. I’m very excited.”

Blue singer Duncan James

Says Duncan: “It’s nice to actually get out the house and do some work, just something to escape from the lockdown. I’ve been with my mum the whole time. I’ve loved it but you do start to go a little bit crazy at times, don’t you? And it’s just nice to have a little bit of an opportunity to do something different.”

Reality stars Sam Thompson and Pete Wicks

Pete says of signing up: “It’s just such a good concept. Everyone goes on about catfishes, a lot of people have been catfished, or have been used as catfish. So I think it’s just quite a good social experiment, isn’t it?

“I think me and Sam doing it together is going to be quite funny, because we could not be any more different if we tried. Us trying to join together to be someone else is all kinds of weird, if I’m honest about it.”

Adds Sam: “I’m going to be honest with you. The reason I’ve done this is because Pete Wicks will be contractually obliged to live with me for six days! That is 95% of the reason I’m doing this, and I’ve always wanted to be a catfish and I get to be now. What a brilliant opportunity.”

Radio DJs Rickie Haywood-Williams and Melvin Odoom

Says Rickie: “Firstly, when the show first launched, myself and Melvin were just blown away by the concept of it. It was just so of this time, social media and the whole kind of trap that falls around catfishing and things like that. It’s just really fascinating.

“We’ve always been really interested in doing this reality TV show. We were massive fans of Big Brother, obviously, when that was in its heyday and beyond that and just the psychological element of things as well. Like trying to see if you can be cut away from technology and away from your family, your friends, and work. So it’s going to be challenging and fun on so many different levels. So that was a big thing for us.”

Adds Melvin: “Me and Rickie are secretly excited. It’s an amazing concept and idea. And it’s the cause, the fact that doing it for Stand Up to Cancer is a great cause as well. I think Channel 4 have done very, very well in addressing such a serious topic, but connecting them to shows that we all love.

“So, yeah, I think we’re really lucky to be part of it, and we’re gassed about the person we’re going to pretend to be, as well.”

In The Circle, contestants live in individual apartments and befriend on another using only an online social media platform. In the popularity game where anyone can be anyone players rate each other based on whom they like – and dislike.

With some of the celebs playing as themselves and others taking on a celebrity catfish persona, this edition of the game will see suspicions heightened and gameplaying galore as the celebs compete for the title of most popular player.

The Circle and its new celebrity spin-off will welcome back host Emma Willis together with narrator, comedian Sophie Willan.

The Celebrity Circle is in aid of Stand Up To Cancer, a joint national fundraising campaign from Cancer Research UK and Channel 4 that brings the UK together to speed up progress in life-saving research.

Meanwhile The Circle will see a £100,000 cash prize up for grabs.

For now, you can watch the first two series of The Circle online now on All 4.