Sam Quek completes Strictly Come Dancing 2024 line-up: Who is she and what is she famous for?

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Here is everything you need to know about the Liverpool-born Olympian who will appear as a contestant on the BBC dancing show.

Sam Quek has been confirmed as the fifteenth and final celebrity for the brand new series of Strictly Come Dancing, which will return to BBC One and BBC iPlayer this Autumn.

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The Liverpool-born Olympian said she was 'chuffed to be part of the legendary show' alongside the likes of Toyah Willcox, Fire from Gladiators, Paul Merson and Nick Knowles. But who is she and what is she famous for? Here is everything you need to know about the former sports star and broadcaster from Merseyside.

Liverpool's Sam Quek will appear in the twenty-second series of Strictly Come Dancing.Liverpool's Sam Quek will appear in the twenty-second series of Strictly Come Dancing.
Liverpool's Sam Quek will appear in the twenty-second series of Strictly Come Dancing. | Anthony Devlin/Getty Images

Who is Sam Quek and what is she famous for?

Samantha Ann Quek was born in Liverpool on 18 October 1988 at Mill Road Hospital. She won an Olympic gold medal as part of the Team GB field hockey team at Brazil 2016 and then embarked on a career in TV.

The Liverpool FC fan cut her teeth on the Premier League club's LFCTV channel before going on to present sports shows on football, American football, rugby and cricket on the BBC, Channel 5, Channel 4 and BT Sport.

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She appeared as a contestant on I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in 2016 and four years later took part in Celebrity Masterchef, where she reached the final three.

In 2021, Sam became the first female team captain on the BBC's Question of Sport quiz show. “This really is my dream job," she said. "I've watched Question of Sport since I was a little girl and my ambition to appear on the show came true five years ago - but I never thought that I would one day be a captain."

This year, she co-anchored the BBC’s Tokyo Olympic Games Breakfast programme and the TV and radio presenter is set to appear as a contestant on the twenty-second series of Strictly Come Dancing in the Autumn.

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Where did Sam Quek go to school?

Although born in L6, the Quek family - her mother Marilyn Quek (née Higgins), Singaporean Chinese father, Albert Quek and her twin brother - moved to West Derby when she was a baby before moving on to Wirral at the age of five. 

She attended Hillside Primary School, in Prenton, for a year before moving to Birkenhead High School and then sixth form at Calday Grange Grammar School in West Kirby.

She studied at Leeds Metropolitan University for a BSc (Hons) in Sport & Exercise Science and it was during this time that she earned her first cap for the England hockey team, playing against Argentina in 2007.

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Sam went on to earn 125 international caps for England and Great Britain. In 2017 she was awarded an MBE for Services to Hockey.

Sam Quek of Great Britain celebrates after winning a Gold Medal at the 2016 Olympics.Sam Quek of Great Britain celebrates after winning a Gold Medal at the 2016 Olympics.
Sam Quek of Great Britain celebrates after winning a Gold Medal at the 2016 Olympics. | Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Is Sam Quek married and does she have kids?

Sam became engaged to Tom Mairs in 2017 after the millionaire property entrepreneur proposed in Tenerife. The couple were married in September 2021 and the wedding photos featured in OK! Magazine.

Tom and Sam both attended Calday Grange Grammar School in Wirral but didn't meet. They were in different years and girls can only attend the boys’ school in sixth form. It wasn't until 2016 that they met in a bar in Liverpool.

In March 2021, Sam gave birth to daughter Molly Doris Mairs by C-section after a gruelling 27-hour labour. In March the following year, the then 33-year-old, gave birth to a son, Isaac Gregory Mairs.

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