Strictly 2021: Who is Greg Wise and is he married to Emma Thompson?

Greg Wise is the 10th celeb on the line-up (Picture: John Phillips/UK Press via Getty Images)

Greg Wise is the latest surprise addition to the Strictly Come Dancing line-up.

The 55-year-old actor was confirmed as part of the 2021 line-up on Wednesday’s edition of This Morning, alongside presenter and influencer Tilly Ramsay.

He has dedicated his Strictly stint to his late sister Clare Wise, saying: ‘My beautiful sister was a huge disco queen. She left our world almost exactly 5 years ago in a glitter ball coffin. This is for her. My gorgeous Diva sis, who would have been insane with excitement that her little bro was doing this.

‘I will channel her, as her bro can’t dance – but I’m thrilled to be dipping my toes, knees, hips and arms into this wonderful world, and hope to make her proud, and obviously make her laugh…’

BBC producers did well to keep the signing under wraps, as Greg had hardly been rumoured for the show in the run-up to the announcements.

Greg is best known for his role as John Willoughby in the Oscar-nominated 1995 adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility – the film on which he met his future wife, Emma Thompson. 

However, he actually dated his and Emma’s co-star Kate Winslet first, after being told by a ‘witchy’ friend that he would meet his future partner on set.

Emma, 62, told Graham Norton: ‘He assumed it wasn’t me because I was married and quite a lot older than him so he thought it might be Kate.’

Emma and Greg met on the set of Sense and Sensibility (Picture: David M. Benett/Dave Benett/WireImage)

Greg took Kate on a date to Glastonbury, but Emma said: ‘She was so bored. And he thought, “This isn’t going to work, who can it be?”

‘Then things happened that probably shouldn’t have happened, and it’s been 25 years in May.’

Emma split from husband Kenneth Branagh later in 1995 after the actor reportedly had an affair with Helena Bonham Carter, and in 2003, she married Greg – real name Matthew Gregory. 

The couple have two children together, daughter Gaia, 21, who they conceived via IVF, and son Tindyebwa, 33, a Rwandan former child soldier who they informally adopted in 2016. 

Sense and Sensibility was Greg’s second film role, following a part in 1995’s Feast of July and TV roles on Taggart and The Riff Raff Element, and went on to appear in movies including Johnny English and A Private War.

The couple have two children together (Picture: Steve Parsons – WPA Pool/Getty Images)

His latest film role was 2019’s Military Wives. 

He has also appeared in a host of TV shows includinh Agatha Christie’s Marple, Law and Order: UK and Modus.

Greg also starred in The Crown in 2016 as Lord Louis Mountbatten. 

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He joins a host of stars including McFly’s Tom Fletcher, Peep Show star Robert Webb, presenter AJ Odudu, Great British Bake Off winner John Whaite, CBBC host Rhys Stephenson, Dragon’s Den star Sara Davies, actress Katie McGlynn, BBC Breakfast host Dan Walker and presenter Tilly Ramsay on the Strictly line-up. 

It is expected around five more celebrities are yet to be announced. 

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