Strictly Come Dancing’s shock shakeup could spell the end of the show

Strictly Come Dancing is in the middle of a brutal bloodbath – and it’s the professional dancers paying the devastating price.

With Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman confirming their joint exit, there is a space for two new hosts to take the reins and launch a new era for Strictly – its biggest shakeup to date.

But Strictly Come Dancing isn’t stopping there. On Sunday, it was reported that three professional dancers – Gorka Marquez, Michelle Tsiakkas, and Luba Mushtuk – have been axed ahead of the new series.

Hours after the initial announcement, it was revealed another pro dancer, Nadiya Bychkova, has also been dropped, after almost a decade.

Strictly Come Dancing has needed a new start for a while, and the show got two new fabulous pros last year, but mercilessly getting rid of so many professional dancers is not the way to go about it.

And I can’t help but think that if the new presenters don’t work, it will mark the beginning of the end for this beloved show.

Many reality TV juggernauts have come and gone. But a huge part of Strictly’s unwavering success for 22 years has been its familiarity.

Tess Daly and Sir Bruce Forsyth were a winning double act for 10 years until he retired in 2014. Claudia was instantly drafted in, the obvious choice after resonating with viewers on sister show It Takes Two.

It was such a seamless transition that more than a decade later it was hard to imagine anyone else at the helm. Tess and Claudia became an unlikely but loved double act, the first female presenting duo on prime-time TV.

Strictly is undergoing enough radical change as it is, without axing such a huge chunk of the professional dancers who already don’t get the credit they deserve for being such an integral part of the show.

More than 60 professional dancers have appeared on Strictly since 2004, with the lineup frequently changing. Some have left of their own accord, others have been pushed out in the midst of controversy, such as Graziano di Prima who left over abuse allegations, and others still have been let go without rhyme or reason.

I worry this latest mass exodus, which feels particularly unjustified and cruel, falls into the ‘unexplained’ category.

Gorka has by far been one of the most popular, and talented, dancers on Strictly over the last 10 years. This is despite the fact that, as some argue, he wasn’t utilised enough, reportedly having been benched in 2019 because he ‘wasn’t tall enough’ for the female celebrities. 

With all the diversity in the recent years of Strictly, the idea of a man being shorter than a woman still seems to be alien.

However, he is currently a judge on the Spanish version of Strictly, Bailando con las Estrellas, and last year admitted he didn’t have time to balance both having a celebrity partner and being a judge, which makes complete sense.

But Nadiya is reportedly ’distraught’ by her exit – and rightly so.

In her eight years on Strictly, she never made the final.

But that’s perhaps through no fault of her own. It’s undeniable that some of her routines were as great as they could possibly be – she turned Dan Walker into a dancer few would ever have imagined him to be in 2021.

But while Nadiya had some great partners, none were ever going to stand a chance of winning the Glitterball trophy.

It feels particularly cruel to see her journey end without reaching the final or being given a partner that truly stood a chance of being there.

Luba Mushtuk too was never given a fair shot of establishing herself as one of the key players in the pro lineup. Her best shot was with Adam Thomas in 2023 when together they came ninth.

Then, Michelle Tsiakkas has only been given one celebrity partner, EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick, since joining Strictly in 2022. She was never given the chance to shine, as she’s barely been allowed to step foot on the dance floor. 

Despite joining alongside pros Vito Coppola, Carlos Gu and Lauren Oakley, who all have either won or reached the final, Michelle has been constantly sidelined.

I wouldn’t be surprised if there are more ruthless exits to follow.

Every year, Neil Jones manages to make the cut to stay on as a professional – this is despite the fact that he has, famously, only had three celebrity partners in a decade of Strictly. 

Neil, strangely, feels like such a pivotal cog of Strictly. Even if he’s not shining on the main stage, having a recognisable lineup of pro dancers is an essential part of Strictly. They are so often overlooked and I worry, again, Strictly are not recognising the talent and stability these pros bring. 

The professional dancers have often been discarded too flippantly on Strictly. It’s a genuine shame to see this is a pattern that will stand the test of time.

I’m already concerned how different Strictly will feel this September with two new presenters, who have the incredibly difficult task of steering what has been a hugely successful ship. I can’t help but think that to sink the ship would be tantamount to career suicide.

Part of Strictly’s charm is its ability to move with the times while staying completely as it is. With the exception of a few changes on the judging panel, Strictly has retained its success by being constant and familiar.

But it’s long been a shame that the pro dancers aren’t protected, nurtured and given equal opportunities to shine on Strictly before they leave for better things. Instead, many are pushed before they’re really given the opportunity they signed up for, and worked incredibly hard to achieve. 

I’m personally crushed to see Nadiya go before she had a credible chance of winning. She’s given so much to Strictly, even when it hasn’t made the most of her talent.

For Michelle and Luba too, I wonder what we haven’t had the chance to see from either of them. It feels unjust that we haven’t seen the most of their potential, when so many decisions have been taken out of their hands.

My only hope is that we’ve seen the last of the exits ahead of Strictly Come Dancing’s return – before it really is another exit too many.

Metro’s entertainment team has reached out to the BBC for comment on the axing of Strictly’s professional dancers.

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing M.Navarrogriffiths@metro.co.uk. 

Share your views in the comments below.