Overview

• He will compete in this year’s BBC ballroom series, saying, “Swapping the pitch for the ballroom is certainly not something I’ve done before… bring on a new type of footwork.”
• He frames the move as a family-driven step, noting his daughters’ performing-arts interests and his wish to engage with their world.
• Two of his daughters, Miah and Lauren, appeared in Netflix’s Matilda the Musical in 2022, with Miah also landing further acting roles.
• The former striker scored 249 club goals, won two Premier League Golden Boots, and netted 87 times for Chelsea.
• Coverage revisits a 2016 Telegraph sting he called “naïve” yet denied involved wrongdoing; QPR initially backed him before dismissing him about five weeks later, and he later served in England’s coaching set-up starting in March 2023 before departing last year.