John Nellis

John Nellis
Nellis in 2024
Born (1993-06-18) 18 June 1993
Newcastle, County Down, Northern Ireland
Occupations
  • Social media personality
  • YouTuber
Years active2022–present
Spouse
Shannon McMahon
​
(m. 2025)​
Children1
TikTok information
Page
Followers2.6 million
YouTube information
Channel
Genres
Subscribers15.7 million
Views11 billion

John Nellis (born 18 June 1993) is a Northern Irish social media personality and YouTuber. After leaving his job as an air traffic controller, he began pursuing content creation on his TikTok and YouTube accounts as a career in 2022, with his channels consisting primarily of football-related content. He has since amassed over 20 million followers across all social media platforms. In 2026, he is set to appear as a contestant on the twenty-fourth series of Strictly Come Dancing.

Life and career

John Nellis was born on 18 June 1993 in Newcastle, County Down, to parents Emma and Tony Nellis.[1][2][3] He has a sister, Fiona.[1] He attended Shimna Integrated College, during which time he was given his first job at Royal County Down Golf Club, raking bunkers on the Annesley Links.[1] After leaving school, he held various jobs including as a kitchen porter, a barman, an ice cream server, a pizza maker, a science technician, and as a social worker at Autism Initiatives.[1] In 2014, he began working as an air traffic controller at Cork Airport.[4][5] His love of football stemmed from watching the 2002 FIFA World Cup, which ignited his interest in the sport, after which he would collect Premier League stickers as well as partaking in fantasy football.[6]

Nellis set up his YouTube account in 2019, and said he started the channel because he "basically was in a job that was a great job, but it was relatively dead-end", deciding to begin a hobby during his time off from work.[6][7] In 2022, Nellis quit his job after eight years to pursue content creation as a full time career, and has a tattoo of the number 7,431, the number of subscribers he had on the day he left.[4] His channel began to grow during the 2022 FIFA World Cup and he has since amassed over 15 million subscribers on YouTube, and a further 2 million on TikTok, primarily posting videos about football.[8] His content has featured him meeting various footballers including Kylian Mbappé, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland.[9] In December 2024, won the award for Sports Creator of the Year at the TikTok Awards UK & Ireland.[10][11] Nellis married Shannon McMahon in June 2025.[12] He has a son.[13]

In May 2026, Nellis took part in the Sidemen Eleven All Stars England vs. France match as part of the England squad.[14] In August 2026, Nellis was announced as a contestant on the twenty-fourth series of Strictly Come Dancing.[15] On joining the show Nellis said "I'm still in disbelief that I've been selected for Strictly and, if I'm honest, I'm a little nervous as I've never danced before! It's such an incredible opportunity, and I'm going to throw myself into every moment. I can't wait to meet everyone, learn a new skill and, hopefully, be much better at family parties by the end of it!".[16]

Filmography

As himself
Year Title Notes Ref.
2026 Strictly Come Dancing Contestant; series 24 [17]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Result Ref.
2024 TikTok Awards UK & Ireland Sports Creator of the Year Won [11]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "John Nellis's journey from barman to YouTube sensation". Mourne Observer. 19 November 2025. Archived from the original on 11 April 2026. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  2. ↑ "'Kids these days want to be a YouTuber and I've sort of just fallen into it - this wasn't planned! It's crazy.'". Belfast News Letter. 13 September 2024. Archived from the original on 18 November 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  3. ↑ "Irish social media host John Nellis set for Strictly". RTÉ. 11 August 2026. Archived from the original on 11 August 2026. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  4. 1 2 "TikTok: Rapid rise of high-flying Belfast content creator". BBC News. 13 December 2024. Archived from the original on 23 July 2025. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  5. ↑ "John Nellis". SXSW London. Archived from the original on 4 June 2026. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  6. 1 2 "John Nellis Champions AFC Croydon Athletic: The Path to 100K Subscribers". Croydon Athletic. 26 April 2024. Archived from the original on 18 May 2026. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  7. ↑ "From air traffic control to recording with Pique - meet the County Down man making waves on YouTube". News Letter. 6 February 2023. Archived from the original on 31 March 2023. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  8. ↑ "Pint of Kings: The Secret Behind Guinness's Long-lasting Domination". Little Black Book. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  9. ↑ "Belfast YouTuber rubbing shoulders with Mbappé". BBC News. 13 December 2024. Archived from the original on 25 December 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  10. ↑ "TikTok crowns the winners of TikTok Awards UK & Ireland presented by Sky". TikTok. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  11. 1 2 McGarvey, Emily; ceremony, with Yasmin Rufo reporting from the awards. "Social media stars crowned in first UK and Ireland TikTok awards - follow live". BBC News. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  12. ↑ "Shannon McMahon and John Nellis' Wedding Website". Zola. Archived from the original on 17 March 2026. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  13. ↑ "'I Went from 120kg to Under 100kg in 90 Days – Here's What Worked'". Men's Health. 19 May 2026. Archived from the original on 14 July 2026. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  14. ↑ Holmes, Ned. "Sidemen Eleven All Stars match: France v England line-ups and how to watch". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 20 June 2026. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
  15. ↑ "Strictly Come Dancing confirms FOURTEENTH celebrity for 2026 series". Digital Spy. 11 August 2026. Archived from the original on 12 August 2026. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
  16. ↑ "YouTuber John Nellis is the fourteenth celebrity announced for Strictly Come Dancing 2026". BBC. Archived from the original on 11 August 2026. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
  17. ↑ "YouTuber John Nellis joins Strictly line-up". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
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