Strictly Come Dancing has been plunged into an ageism row as the professional dancers who are reportedly facing the axe have been revealed.
Some of the biggest and best loved stars on the show who have competed for years are at risk of being cut in a huge shake-up as bosses eye a younger generation of dancers, according to The Sun.
Those at risk of losing their place on the show are thought to be Nadiya Bychkova, 35, Neil Jones, 42, Karen Hauer, 42, Gorka Marquez, 34, and Katya Jones.
Sources claimed the quintet have been dubbed the ‘fading stars’ of the lineup, with show bosses on the hunt for ‘younger, up-and-coming counterparts.’
Currently Katya, 35, is the only professional still in the competition, but she was previously embroiled in a ‘groping’ scandal with her celebrity partner Wynne Evans.
In contrast, younger professionals like Jowita Przystal, 30, who is paired with Pete Wicks, and Vito Coppola, 32, dancing with Sarah Hadland, have wowed viewers.
Following a year that has seen the beloved BBC show hit by a string of scandals, sources are now claiming that bosses are planning to bring in a new generation of young dancers, with up to five veteran names at risk of being dropped.
A source told The Sun: ‘The review of the line-up has always been about making a fresh start, and that was always going to be affected by which dancers performed well this series.
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Strictly Come Dancing professional dancers who are reportedly facing the axe as bosses eye a younger generation of dancers have been revealed
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Some of the biggest and best loved stars on the show who have competed for years are at risk of being cut in a huge shake-up, according to The Sun (pictured Nadiya Bychkova, Tom Dean)
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Among those at risk are thought to be Nadiya Bychkova, Neil Jones (pictured), Karen Hauer , Gorka Marquez and Katya Jones, four of which have already been eliminated
‘The feeling is that the Strictly troupe is made up of some fading stars, while others are rising stars.
‘And in many cases there are certain characters whose shoes can easily be filled with younger, up-and-coming counterparts. It’s harsh but it’s just part of the traditional turnover of showbusiness.’
A representative for Strictly Come Dancing declined to comment. MailOnline has contacted representatives for Nadiya Bychkova, Neil Jones, Karen Hauer, Gorka Marquez and Katya Jones for comment.
While some insisted they would be ‘switching off’ if the list of names reported were to leave, others admitted that the show could do with a refresh.
Those agains the axing, said: ‘I will stop watching if Gorka and Katya are axed!’; ‘This is so tone deaf! The pros are what the people love. People follow and support the pros as much, if not more, than the celebs. Wake up and axe a couple of the judges!’
‘We need better and more traditional song choices and traditional routines’; ‘They just need to add more male pros to balance with the girls’; ‘UMMM WHAT’; ‘If they do this then I predict the show won’t last for much longer.. dropping Gorka would be a huge mistake, he’s the reason many of us watch!’;
‘Not Katya and Gorka, they are incredible dancers are also good choreographers that the show cant’ lose’;
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Viewers of the beloved show were split over the reports that the show shake-up means saying goodbye to some fan favourites
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Following a year that has seen Strictly hit by a string of scandals, sources are now claiming that bosses are planning to bring in a new generation of young dancers (Karen Hauer pictured)
Some of the favourites. Yes, the show does change – but axing the viewers favourites in one go is shocking. I know TV changes every so often, but to get rid of Neil, Katya, Karen, Gorka etc. I think the viewers may change channels’
‘It doesn’t need a new lease of life, people have their favourite pros. They actually need to go back to basics with the themed weeks, over/under marking and dreadful song choices .’
One person said they expected Karen but defend others, saying: ‘Expected Karen she’s the longest serving female pro… However Nadiya can’t leave – she needs to have her first female celeb next year. Katya’s choreo is brilliant and Gorka needs to win after reaching the final one year with Alexandra Burke.’
However some agreed it was time for change, saying: ‘It is somewhat needed, especially on the female side. Not sure I’d dump Gorka and Katya as they are still delivering in one way or another but there are others whose absence would be less missed.’
‘Keep Katya but the rest of that list can go’; ‘As long as Nikita and Johannes are safe’.
It was previously reported back in July that some of Strictly’s biggest professional names were at risk of being axed, as bosses planned to bring in some fresh young names.
A source told The Sun: ‘There’s the fear that being on the show leaves them more open to feeling entitled and untouchable.
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However some agreed it was time for change, saying: ‘It is somewhat needed, especially on the female side’
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Currently, only Katya is still competing on this year’s Strictly, but she was previously embroiled in a ‘groping’ scandal with her celebrity partner Wynne Evans
‘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.
Before adding: ‘The fact that the BBC are even considering making big changes and bringing in fresh blood is a sign of how keen they are to move on and make every effort to ensure nothing like this happens again’.
Strictly’s milestone 20th year has been marred by scandal – after actress Amanda Abbington unexpectedly quit the show last October before claiming her partner Giovanni Pernice was abusive towards her. He was later cleared of ten of her 16 allegations.
The show was then hit with a fresh wave of scandal when Graziano Di Prima was sacked in July for ‘kicking’ his partner, Love Island star Zara McDermott.
While the BBC have declined to comment on the shake-up speculation, it marks the latest in a series of times the show has been accused of ageism.
Most famously, Dame Arlene Phillips found herself dubbed ‘the face of anti-ageism’ when she was axed from the show in 2009.
Dame Arlene was booted off when she was 66, and replaced by the much younger and less experienced Alesha Dixon (then aged 30).
It caused such a scandal that even Harriet Harman, then Minister for Women and Equality, got involved.
In an extraordinary Government intervention, Labour’s Deputy Leader described the BBC’s decision to replace Dame Arlene as ‘absolutely shocking’ and called for her to be reinstated.
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Most famously, Dame Arlene Phillips found herself dubbed ‘the face of anti-ageism’ when she was axed from the show in 2009 and replaced by younger Alesha Dixon
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Elsewhere, it’s also been reported that fellow pro Johannes Radebe is poised to leave Strictly at the end of the series (pictured with Montell Douglas)
Speaking in the House Of Commons, she shared: ‘As Equalities Minister, I am suspicious that there is age discrimination there. So I’d like to take the opportunity of asking the BBC: it is not too late, we want Arlene Phillips in the next edition of Strictly Come Dancing.’
Last month, Dame Arlene, now 81, reignited the ageism row as she discussed the older contestants on the show.
She told Express Online at the Women of the Year Awards: ‘I don’t particularly like the way older women are perceived [on the show].
‘I don’t like that there is a certain, there are some people who are phenomenal as they age and it’s not that they should have danced before, but the one thing I don’t like about Strictly is many of the older women who take part are really serious about it, as they should be, but they also take it to heart and that breaks them as women.’
Viewers of the beloved show were split over the reports that the show shake-up means saying goodbye to some fan favourites.
Six weeks after Dame Arlene was axed from the show, Strictly found itself embroiled in another ageism row when popular dancer Karen Hardy was dropped from the lineup.
She was given the boot from the dancefloor at the age of 39 to make way for younger professionals in their 20s.
At the time, Karen was the oldest female dancer on the show and had been tipped by fans to take over Dame Arlene on the judging panel.
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Strictly found itself embroiled in another ageism row when popular dancer Karen Hardy was dropped from the lineup (pictured with Mark Ramprakash)
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She was not the only dancer to be replaced. Camilla Dallerup, then 35 and the reigning Strictly champion was also also axed (pictured with Tom Chambers)
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In 2022, fans accused Shirley Ballas, 64, of overmarking young male contestants, with Shirley revealing she considered quitting the show because the trolling got so bad
She was not the only dancer to be replaced. Camilla Dallerup, then 35 and the reigning Strictly champion was also also axed.
Lithuanian Katya Virshilas, then 25, and Australian Natalie Lowe, then 28, were brought in as their replacements.
Addressing ageism accusations at the time, a Strictly spokesperson said they were always looking for ways to make Strictly Come Dancing ‘fresh and relevant’ but said suggestions that BBC decisions are based on age were ‘totally out of the question’.
‘If our decisions were affected by age there’s no way we could have someone like Bruce Forsyth or Len Goodman on the show,’ they said.
‘Age does not influence who we have on the show and we have numerous presenters of all ages across the BBC.’
Current head judge Shirley Ballas has also been accused of ageism.
In 2022, fans accused Shirley, 64, of overmarking young male contestants, with Shirley revealing she considered quitting the show because the trolling got so bad.
She told The Mirror: ‘I felt the abuse snowballed out of control and impacted me in such a negative way. I’m a pretty stoic person, and I tend to hold everything in.’
When asked if she’d considered quitting Strictly, she replied: ‘It was a difficult series, I’ll leave it at that… Will I go back to Strictly? I always take one step at a time.’
Elsewhere, it’s also been reported that fellow pro Johannes Radebe is poised to leave Strictly at the end of the series.
The South African dancer, who has become a fan-favourite since he joined the show in 2018, has landed two huge projects in 2025, with sources now claiming his schedule is too jam-packed for a return to the ballroom.
Johannes is set to star in Kinky Boots: The Musical for the first seven months of the year, and is also working on a movie adaptation of his life story.
The dancer is currently paired with Gladiators star Montell Douglas, and the pair have been tipped to reach the final.
A source told The Sun: ‘Johannes is hugely loved on the show and there isn’t an atom of bad feeling about him leaving.
‘Of course, bosses will probably try to find a way to bring him back at some point and he would no doubt consider returning.
‘But for now, he just has too much to juggle alongside the contest. It isn’t just the announced projects that he’s working on, there are other opportunities in the pipeline too, which he can now explore further.’
A representative for Strictly Come Dancing declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline. A representative for Johannes Radebe has been contacted for comment.
From January to July, Johannes is set to star in a leading role in the touring production of Kinky Boots The Musical, which is written by pop legend Cyndi Lauper.
He’s set to perform over 200 shows in 25 different cities across the UK and Ireland, in cities randing from Dublin to Plymouth and Brighton to Edinburgh.
