Strictly's Ross King's unrecognisable in forgotten 80s TV role

Strictly Come Dancing star Ross King is best recognised as the well-informed L.A correspondent on ITV's Lorraine and Good Morning Britain. Last month, he was announced as the 13th celebrity to grace the glittering dancefloor in a bid to impress the series 23 judges. Although he is widely known to appear on screens via a live feed, Ross made his stage debut with a joint performance on Saturday's (September 20) launch show. This comes after it was revealed that he had been paired with his professional partner, Jowita Przysta.

However, years before relocating to Los Angeles in 2000, Ross had a key role on screens in 1988 as a game show host. In clips that have resurfaced, the 65-year-old was unrecognisable as he introduced players on ITV's Young Krypton. The 1980s British children's spin-off of the adult game show The Krypton Factor.

In the clip, the Scottish star sported a trimmer frame and, rather than his familiar brown locks, Ross embraced a blonder look.

The episode, which aired almost 40 years ago, shows that the Strictly star has been a longtime fan of two-piece suits. He wore a grey blazer, matching trousers, and a yellow shirt underneath.

The spin-off featured young contestants competing in a series of rounds testing their agility, intelligence, and other abilities, including a shorter obstacle course at The American Adventure Theme Park and simpler mental puzzles compared to the adult version.

The show ran for two series between 1988 and 1989, before being revived for two series aired in 2009 and 2010, presented by Ben Shephard.

Following the Strictly launch, Ross and Jowita opened up about their ongoing rehearsals during an appearance on ITV's Lorraine.

Ross admitted he was "lost for words," adding: "We do still have a week. I think I'm right in saying that the Cha Cha is the hardest."

Jowita continued: "We had already that moment when the day came and nothing was working, and we passed that moment and now each day is just getting better and better.

"And for me, seeing Ross when we dance, even our last rehearsals we did, and you got something right, the happiness and the joy... I'm like a cheerleader, it's amazing."

The pro added: "Celebrities come from all different backgrounds and have different abilities and that's okay. But the beauty of that show is to take someone who has no idea and no clue how to dance and then to go out and perform. It's actually quite overwhelming as well, but beautiful."

Ross joked, "We're in this not to win it, because obviously I'm never going to win it," with Jowita quickly adding, "Don't say that."