Five pro dancers set to leave Strictly named as show undergoes huge shakeup

This year’s Strictly Come Dancing has been one of the most tumultuous in the show’s history, with Giovanni Pernice quitting earlier this year, and Graziano Di Prima sacked over his behaviour

Five professional dancers are reportedly set to leave Strictly Come Dancing as the troubled show undergoes a huge shakeup.

This year’s series has been one of the most tumultuous and controversial in the long-running BBC show’s history, as it was embroiled in a huge scandal over the alleged behaviour of several professional dancers. Fan favourite Giovanni Pernice sensationally quit after his celebrity dance partner Amanda Abbington made a string of allegations regarding his “abusive” behaviour, with the Italian dancer later cleared after a BBC investigation.

Graziano Di Prima was then axed by show bosses after his celeb partner Zara McDermott alleged he had been physically abusive towards her during their rehearsals, with the Italian dancer later admitting he had kicked her. According to The Sun, bosses are desperate to keep the show afloat by revamping the professional dancer line-up, and “axing” established and much-loved stars.

Five dancers are set to be leaving Strictly, with Nadiya Bychkova, Neil Jones, Karen Hauer, Gorka Marquez and Katya Jones said to be on the chopping block. Katya has endured her fair share of controversy on the show, as she was embroiled in a scandal in 2018, when she was pictured kissing her celebrity dance partner Seann Walsh, despite being married to fellow professional dancer Neil Jones.

And this year, she’s been involved in another controversy, after her partner Wynne Evans was accused of groping her during a live show last month, causing further headaches for show bosses. Nadiya has avoided any scandals during her time on Strictly, and was loved by fans when she struck up a sweet friendship with her dance partner Dan Walker in 2021.

She had a brief romance with fellow pro Kai Widdrington, but was sadly voted off in the first week of this year’s series, when she was partnered with swimmer Tom Dean. Karen is one of Strictly's longest-serving professional dancers, but according to show insiders, she’s up for the axe as she was voted off in week four after failing to impress audiences with her partner, former footballer Paul Merson.

Meanwhile, Neil has only had three celebrity partners despite being on the show since 2016. His recent partnership with 80s punk icon Toyah Wilcox ended in heartbreak in September, as they were voted off in week two after ending up in the dance-off.

Gorka, who is a firm favourite among Strictly fans, is also one of the dancers rumoured to be leaving, and his stint on the show was cut short after he and Dr Punam Krishan were voted off in week five. “The feeling is that the Strictly troupe is made up of some fading stars, while others are rising stars,” the insider told The Sun.

“Of the five names in the mix almost all of them went out in the first half of the series, which is very much seen as a landmark point for Strictly.” The Mirror has approached the BBC for comment.

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