Who is George Clarke? TikToker joins Strictly Come Dancing

Extra.ie​

3 days ago

George Clarke would be familiar to many of those who are actively on YouTube or TikTok but outside the world of social media he's not exactly a household name.
The 25-year-old has grown significantly in popularity over the last few years, boasting 2.3million followers on TikTok and 614,000 subscribers on YouTube.
However, it still came as a shock to a lot of people when it was announced on Tuesday that he will be competing as a celebrity contestant in this year's Strictly Come Dancing. George has joined Strictly Come Dancing. Pic:for AELTC
George has joined CBBC actress Ellie Goldstein, Love Island winner Dani Dyer, former footballer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, actress Alex Kingston, EastEnders' Balvinder Sopal, and Gladiators star Harry Aikines-Aryeetey in this year's line-up.
Ahead of the series' return, Extra.ie has taken a look at the rise of George Clarke in recent years.
George was born in Hampshire, England on December 3, 1999.
He first gained fame on TikTok in 2019, where he posts videos around situational comedy, POV jokes, and viral trends.
Much of his content focuses on family interactions and student life.
He has amassed 2.3million TikTok followers, 684,000 Instagram followers and 614,000 YouTube subscribers.
George gained more fame by collaborating multiple times with other YouTubers such as The Sidemen, ChrisMD, Stephen Tries and ItalianBach.
George also co-hosts 'The Useless Hotline' podcast with Max Balegde, another social media star who rose to fame from TikTok.
The podcast's YouTube channel has 132,000 subscribers and is also popular on Spotify. George has 2.3million TikTok followers. Pic: Instagram
The idea behind the podcast is that people send queries and dilemmas 'no matter how big, small, weird, or embarrassing'.
The duo add: 'We can't guarantee good advice or that you will leave a changed person, but we can guarantee that this is a useless hotline.'
In his Instagram bio, George has a link to a GoFundMe he created in February 2024 to help The Encephalitis Society.
George revealed that his mother was diagnosed with encephalitis and 'given low odds of survival'.
Encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain caused either by an infection invading the brain or through the immune system attacking the brain in error.
In an emotional video posted on social media in 2023, George described a haunting moment when his mum almost died from the condition.
He said: 'There is a side to me I don't think I have ever shown you. A more serious side was back in 2015, my family thought we'd have to live without my mum, which makes me feel bad for the initial joke now.
'Where better to start than at the beginning. I shot out my mother foo-foo in December 99, proud memories.
'I was a hefty baby that she didn't mind, which I think is a good insight into the type of person that she is, kind. George's mother was 'given low odds of survival'. Pic: GoFundMe
'She always went above and beyond for me and my sister, making cards, cakes, and chocolate bars. The latter probably best displays her disgusting sense of humour.
'One day, all of that changed when I saw her being wheeled out of our house in a wheelchair, and she looked at me as if she had never seen me before.
'So basically the whole of that summer was spent visiting her and her relearning who she was and who we were.'
Fighting back tears, he went on to say: 'I'd always known that she is amazing, but the fact that she overcame a 20% chance of survival in intensive care.
'She has permanently lost her long-term memories, she's lost her taste and her smell.
'She has no sense of direction anymore, and to come out of all of that and apologise to us for what she has put us through is really a testament to how lucky we are that she's still here. I am lucky enough to hear that God-awful cackle.'
To fundraise for The Encephalitis Society, George stated that he was going to 'run a silly amount of Tough Mudders'.
He has raised over £10,000 since.
The news that George is going to be on this year's Strictly Come Dancing was revealed on BBC Radio 1's 'Going Home' drivetime show on Tuesday afternoon.
He joins a mixed lineup ranging from sport to acting to social media influencing. George rose to fame on TikTok in 2019. Pic: Instagram
Informing his followers about the news, George said: 'Never thought I'd say this… but I'm doing Strictly! Honestly, I've got no idea what I'm doing, but I'm excited to get stuck in… and potentially fall over a fair bit.'
He also posted about it on TikTok with a video saying: 'Asking for a friend, is there an option to just sit at the side and watch like at the school disco?'
George captioned the post: 'Humiliation ritual inbound (wtf is going on).'