Five long-standing members of the Strictly Come Dancing professional dancers line-up could be sacked next year, it has been reported.
The BBC dance competition has been rocked by a series of misconduct allegations and bullying rows in recent weeks and reports suggest drastic action against veteran dancers may be taken.
The reports come as the BBC weekend staple tries to recover from the allegations that led to the likes of Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima losing their spots on the show.
Long-serving dancer Pernice, 33, was axed following allegations made by Amanda Abbington after she quit the show prematurely last year and claimed to have been left with PTSD.
Meanwhile, Di Prima, 30, was booted from the show for kicking his 2023 partner Zara McDermott during rehearsals last year, leaving the Love Island star “incredibly distressed” to watch the footage back.
Since the sackings, Anton Du Beke has found himself at the centre of a storm for resurfaced comments made to a celebrity partner while an unnamed female professional dancer is also being looked at.
The BBC Strictly pros have become stars in their own rights since starring on the show
BBC
Should Strictly live on beyond this year’s 20th-anniversary special, insiders have claimed it will be without some of its most recognisable pros.
It’s been reported that bosses feel experienced stars of the show feel they’re “entitled and untouchable” with an insider allegedly saying: “There isn’t much they can do to change the line up for this year’s crisis-hit show, but the feeling is that Strictly needs to make a fresh start in 2025.
“There’s the fear that being on the show leaves them more open to feeling entitled and untouchable. So for many of the pros turning up for rehearsals this week, it may be their last time.
“It’s not a done deal, and it’s not just going to be a case of the oldest or longest-serving being shown the door. It would be a carefully considered process, with other factors taken into account too.”
The insider went on to claim that the mere fact these conversations are allegedly taking place signifies that bosses want to avoid any similar scandals in the future.
“That could mean saying goodbye to some of the best-known pros — both male and female — but when it comes to Strictly, nobody is ever bigger than the show,” they told The Sun.
The BBC declined to comment on the claims when contacted by GB News.
The current crop of professional dancers seems to be ignoring the disparaging headlines that surround the show as they return to rehearsals for the first time this year.
All of this year’s professional dancers stopped for a photo from the training room on Monday which was shared to the BBC Strictly Instagram page with the caption: “Day one of #Strictly 2024 rehearsals done! We can’t wait to share our new pro routines with everyone soon @bbciplayer.”
Several of the pros reacted to the announcement, including Diane Buswell who shared a string of love heart emojis before typing: “We’re back so exciting.”
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Aljaz Skorjanec has returned to the BBC Strictly line-up following Giovanni Pernice’s axe
BBC
“We are BACK,” Lauren Oakley replied while Nancy Xu echoed: “My teammmmm!!!!!! We are backkkkk,” followed by a number of love heart emojis.
Other returning dancers Johannes Radebe, Gorka Marquez and Luba Mushtuk also shared the love heart symbol in response to the post while Nadiya Bychkova reposted it to her own page with a heartfelt statement.
The Ukrainian pro – who recently split from boyfriend and co-star Kai Widdrington – had reportedly complained about the show to BBC bosses.
However, she rubbished those reports a few days ago and defiantly expressed her excitement for this year’s series by writing: “The best things in life are about family and it’s great to be back with the @bbcstrictly team.
“The new series is going to be amazing. I can’t wait for you to see it. #WeGoAgain.” (sic)