Charlotte Hawkins announces Strictly Come Dancing 2017 start date

It's happened: the start date of Strictly Come Dancing 2017 has officially been announced!

And those who have been gripping onto the edge of their seats in anticipation, wondering how on earth to fill your evenings before you can get your fix, can breathe a collective sigh of relief, we don't have long to wait!

Revealing the start date on Good Morning Britain, TV presenter Charlotte Hawkins, who is one of this year's contestants, announced that the BBC One favourite would be premiering on the 9th of September - and although the channel has yet to confirm the news themselves, Charlotte's impending participation in the dance competition means it's likely to be reliable information.

Nothing makes the end of summer more bearable like the razzle dazzle of, quite frankly, our favourite show EVER, so this first episode can't come soon enough!

As is tradition, the Saturday 9th show will be the pre-recorded episode where we see the celebrities training for the first time, and then being coupled up with their professional partner.

After a few weeks break, where the couples get to know each other and the celebrities get to know how not to fall flat on their bums after every twirl, we can expect the live competition to air toward the end of that month.

The official line-up was completed earlier this week when Alexandra Burke was announced as the final celebrity signed up for the show, joining stars including JLS's Aston Merrygold, Loose Women's Ruth Langsford and comedienne Susan Calman.

In sadder news, Strictly veteran Bruce Forsyth passed away earlier this month, and, fittingly, it's been confirmed that he will be honoured in the opening episode with an emotional performance by the the professional dancers.

Producer Louise Rainbow said: 'We all want to celebrate him and all that he loved about the show. Sir Bruce was, and will always be, a huge part of Strictly Come Dancing.'