Dion Dublin to kick off new series of Homes Under the Hammer as co-host

Dublin will join current presenting team Lucy Alexander and Martin Roberts when the series returns for its 19th run in mid-April, following budding property developers as they buy houses at auction and proceed to renovate them in the hope of turning a profit through rental or re-sale.

You may well be wondering what an ex-footballer is doing fronting a property show, but apparently it's long been a passion of Dublin's that has seen him score in the housing market as well as on the pitch.

“I am thrilled to be joining Martin and Lucy on Homes Under The Hammer," he confirmed. "I have a passion for property and look forward to meeting people on the show who share that passion.”

Since retiring from football in 2008, Dublin has worked as a pundit for Sky Sports but has also pursued other less obvious career avenues. He is the inventor of a percussion instrument called the Dube and in 2011 accompanied indie band Ocean Colour Scene during a gig.

Dublin made his name as a goal-scoring centre-forward at Cambridge United, before spells at Manchester United, Coventry City and Aston Villa among others, but later in his career he turned defender – an early sign of the versatile nature that would one day see him hosting Homes Under the Hammer.