A TELEVISION quiz ace is swapping her Chasers chair for a seat at the judges table in Bolton.

Bolton Hospice has revealed that Jenny Ryan will be joining the judging panel in its Strictly Learn to Dance grand finale this April.

Jenny has become a household name as The Vixen on ITV quiz show The Chase and has been an intimidating presence to contestants since September, 2015.

While the Brainiac, who hails from Horwich, is best known as a formidable presence as a Chaser, she also has some unique dance experience.

She, along with fellow Chasers, including former Brain of Bolton winner Anne ‘The Governess’ Hegerty, wowed audiences in BBC’s Let’s Sing and Dance for Comic Relief with a Wizard of Oz medley - getting through to tomorrow’s final.

Speaking from the corridors of Elstree Studios, where she is currently filming new episodes of The Chase, she spoke of her delight at being asked to support her hometown charity.

She said: “I’m delighted to be asked to take part.

“It is one of the bits of Bolton we are proudest of, it does a really great job and I’m happy to do anything I can to help to raise funds.

“As a Chaser, one of the things I do, and my colleagues do, is try to give credit where credit is due, so I’m going to be really positive about the dancers’ learning experience. People should be really proud of going out there and performing in the first place, and hopefully putting on a really good show!

“I was not known for my dance skills until a couple of weeks ago and we did Let’s Sing and Dance for Comic Relief, which is another fantastic cause I’m honoured to take part in.

“When we film the Chase we don’t even have an audience so I’m used to doing my job in a darkened studio which has peace and quiet so I can concentrate. Sing and Dance is very different! It’s quite overwhelming and very exciting.

“I don’t think I will ever recover from having to sing my heart out in front of a huge crowd. The experience means I will be very empathetic as a judge as I can imagine how the contestants will be feeling!”

Jenny, who plays alongside Anne for The Albert, Horwich, in the Bolton Premier Quiz League on Monday evenings, will join the Chasers to reprise their routine tomorrow.

She added: “We have not really had much time to prepare. We are recording shows for the Chase at the moment and have not even had a chance to get into a dance rehearsal room together.

“Hopefully we are all practising in our own homes and hotel rooms.”

The Strictly Learn to Dance final takes place on April 8 and 750 guests are expected to attend the sell-out event at the The Whites Hotel.

After 13 weeks of training, 20 couples, many of whom were complete beginners at the start, will be stepping out to perform three dances in a bid to be crowned the Strictly Champion.

Maria Passarello, hospice events manager, said: “We are incredibly grateful to Jenny for her support of Bolton Hospice and look forward to welcoming her along on the night.

“This event is set to provide a fantastic night of entertainment for all our guests and we are enormously grateful to everyone supporting this event. This event is set to raise substantial funds for the hospice and Jenny’s support will be an added attraction for our guests.”