Chris Appleton showcased his very muscular frame on Sunday as he worked out in a London park ahead of making his Strictly Come Dancing debut next month. Kim Kardashian's hairstylist, 43, looked on fine form as he was put through his paces by a personal trainer in Hyde Park. The hunk, who recently shaved and dyed his hair blond, was sure to garner plenty of attention while showing off his ripped six pack in black shorts. He also donned white trainers and a grey hoodie, which was promptly removed as he worked up a sweat while skipping. 

While his professional dance partner will no doubt whip him into shape in rehearsals, his trainer ensured that Chris will be physically prepared for training, with the conceptual hair stylist seen sprinting through the park. He was also seen doing lunges during the workout, with things intensifying as dumbbells were added. Chris, who is currently flat hunting in the capital, was also seen picking up a kettlebell while an agility ladder was laid out ahead of him. Amid the gruelling workout, the soon-to-be Strictly star stopped for a well-earned break as he hydrated with a bottle of water. 

Chris is a world-renowned hairstylist and is best known for working with Kim Kardashian. Named a 'Hair Star' by Vogue UK, Chris's work has been showcased on covers and in major features for publications including Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Vanity Fair, Marie Claire, Grazia, L'Officiel Paris and more. His other celebrity clients include Jennifer Lopez, Sofía Vergara, Ariana Grande and Katy Perry. Back in June, during an appearance at Wimbledon, Kim's pal looked ahead to his Strictly stint and revealed his dream pro partner is US dancer Alexis Warr, 26.

He told the Daily Mail: 'I'd love to be with Alexis. She's amazing and I think our personalities would work really well together.' Alexis made her Strictly debut last year and finished as runner up with her partner, TikTok star George Clarke. She also has a big presence back home in the US where she first achieved fame by winning So You Think You Can Dance in 2022. Chris is part of the 2026 Strictly line-up which also includes Lacey Turner, Dani Dyer, Delta Goodrem, Chris Appleton, Cach Mercer, Will Best, Dame Sarah Storey, Jaime Winstone, Bethany Antonia, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Graeme Hall, Lawrence Robb, Tabby Stoecker, John Nellis and Melanie Walters.

The cast for the upcoming 2026 series is complete but disappointed fans of the BBC's flagship show have criticised the 'weak' line-up, with fans claiming there aren't enough 'household names'. An insider has revealed the BBC has a casting strategy as part of its major overhaul of the show, which has been running for 22 years. This year the series has been deliberate in its targeting of celebrities with big social media followings in a ploy to attract younger viewers to the show.

It has been suggested this is to follow a similar, hugely successful social media strategy employed by its US counterpart Dancing With The Stars. 'Although your traditional Strictly audience might not know who some of the signings are, that's not as important as bringing in new viewers who are more than familiar with them,' the source revealed. 'Their followers are vast in numbers, enthusiastic and, by sharing content on Strictly, raise the profile of the show massively. 'And, in time, the viewers who don't know these people get to know them.

If anything they end up going on much more of a "Strictly Journey" than the stars you'd describe as "household names,"' the source added to The Sun. Celebrities such as Kim Kardashian's hair stylist Chris might not be a household name, but he does boast a huge social media following with 4million fans on Instagram. Dancing With The Stars has used their celebrity contestants' followings to their advantage, introducing a TikTok Night last year – an episode which saw the contestants perform viral dance routines, sparking an uptick in interaction from younger viewers.

The Dancing With The Stars TikTok account now has more than 5million followers, in comparison to Strictly's 670,000. The insider has explained that the BBC struggles to attract big-name celebrities these days because the landscape has changed. The source continued: 'Crucially the pipeline that used to feed these big shows has changed. 'Boyband and girlband stars aren't as prevalent any more and, once upon a time, getting someone from a soap or a big drama was a massive deal, but now even that has diminished somewhat. 'Now, though, social media is continuing to boom and big stars from the world of TikTok, YouTube and Instagram are known to a vast section of society.'