Jonnie Peacock wanted by BBC to become first para-athlete to star on Strictly Come Dancing

JONNIE PEACOCK is being tipped to become the first amputee to appear on Strictly Come Dancing after winning World Championship gold in London last week.

The 24-year-old, who won gold medals at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Paralympics, would become a trailblazer yet again if he appeared on the show.

Rex Features

Rex Features

According to the Mail, a deal is set to be done for Peacock to compete in front of the show’s average of 11.8million viewers.

The Cambridge flier has a blade on his right leg and has a personal best of 10.64 sec over 100 metres.

Peacock contracted meningitis when he was five, which resulted in his lower right leg being amputated.

Strictly starts on September 22 on BBC One, with the main show on Saturday evening, before the weekly results come in on the Sunday.

Athletics has provided plenty of contenders for the prestigious title in the past.

Roger Black, Denise Lewis, Colin Jackson, Jade Johnson, Iwan Thomas and Greg Rutherford have all taken part since the show started in 2004.

Reuters

Rex Features

Elsewhere, Matt Goss is understood to have signed up for the show and Joan Collins has been approached.

Shirley Ballas is set to replace Len as the head judge on the show while Bruno Tonioli, Craig Revel Horwood and Darcey Bussell will continue.

Meanwhile, with his main goal of competing and winning in London complete, Peacock can now take some time off as he starts his journey towards the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.