30 March 2024 , 22:46
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Olympic cyclist Dame Laura Kenny is being lined up for a spin on Strictly Come Dancing.
Team GB’s five-times gold medallist announced her retirement two weeks ago. And bosses at the BBC hit think her discipline and winning attitude could help her add the Glitterball to her trophy cabinet. A source said: “Laura is Britain’s most successful female Olympian, with five gold medals. She’s been branded the ultimate signing for Strictly.
"She has a huge fanbase in the sports world and also has a very emotional backstory – the nation loves Laura.” Laura, 31, married to fellow Team GB gold medallist Sir Jason Kenny, announced her decision to climb out of the saddle just months before the Paris Olympics.
A veteran of three Games campaigns, Laura was one of the stars of London 2012, winning two golds. She picked up two more in Rio in 2016, topped up her haul with a gold and a silver in Tokyo in 2021 and became a Dame in 2022.
Laura has also been hailed as an inspiration for breaking down stigma around baby loss, after having a miscarriage in 2021 and a life-threatening ectopic pregnancy three months later. She gave birth to her second child, Montgomery, last November, who joined brother Albie, six.
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Announcing her retirement, she posted: “Thank you, cycling, for everything you’ve given me – including a husband and our growing family. Having people say I have inspired women and girls to get active and get on a bike means the world to me.” The BBC was contacted for comment.