Richard Gere at the Amelia premiere in New YorkThe battle of the Saturday night reality shows is really hotting up now. Having been regularly slammed in the ratings by the eternally successful Simon Cowell, Strictly bosses are taking action.

Rumour has it that the Hollywood silver-haired heartthrob Richard Gere is in talks with the BBC about performing a one-off dance.

Gere, it turns out, worked with Phil Tufnell's partner Katya Virshilas during the filming of the 2004 movie Shall We Dance.

A source told The Sun: "The BBC is desperate to woo back viewers who have switched to The X Factor.

"ITV is hammering the show in the ratings so bosses think getting some high-profile names on will do the trick."

The X Factor has already seen the comeback performances from Robbie Williams and Whitney Houston, while last year saw Beyoncé and Britney taking to the X Factor stage.

But Richard Gere isn't the only rumoured Strictly guest. Pamela Anderson and Mariah Carey are also reportedly due to make an appearance.

The BBC were unable to confirm or, more interestingly, deny the rumour but said that they are in talks with a number of celebrities.

A spot of Richard Gere on Strictly would certainly be a coup for the Beeb, which is more than can be said for these celebrity cameos...