Fleur East has been dropped from Strictly Come Dancing's companion programme, It Takes Two, according to reports. The former X Factor contestant is the latest personality to be removed from the line-up as the programme faces significant changes following Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman's departure from the main show.
Major BBC Restructure
This development follows the recent announcement that Fleur's colleague Janette Manrara will not be returning for the upcoming series of Strictly. The departures of both Fleur and Janette are understood to form part of a substantial restructure at the BBC programme. The Hits Radio host even auditioned as a possible successor to main presenters Tess and Claudia – but revealed she was unsuccessful.
In another crushing setback, she will no longer feature on the weekday companion show, which she joined in 2023.
Official Statements
A BBC spokesperson told Express.co.uk: "Further plans for Strictly Come Dancing 2026 will be confirmed in due course."
A source told The Sun: "Fleur has kept the news on the lowdown for as long as she could, only telling her close friends. She's still in denial about it and was really upset by the decision. But it wasn't personal. The BBC have decided to make a number of other changes in order to give the show a fresh new feel. Sadly for Fleur, she didn't make the cut and was dropped."
Fleur's Reaction
During her Hits Radio Breakfast show last month, Fleur acknowledged she was "bothered" by missing out on the presenting role after trying out for the main programme. She said: "All right, I'm going to say it. I did say initially, after Tess and Claudia announced they were leaving Strictly you know, it's probably not going to happen [for me] and I'm happy for whoever gets it. And we were just talking about Emma Willis being announced and I was like, yeah, great, amazing and I've kind of lied to myself that I'd be all right with not doing it or not being considered for the job. But I'm kind of bothered."
Fleur continued, acknowledging she felt fortunate to be involved with It Takes Two and to have competed as a contestant in 2022.
New Presenters Announced
Last month, it was confirmed that Emma Willis had secured the presenting role on Strictly alongside Josh Widdecombe and professional dancer Johannes Radebe. Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two will return to BBC Two in September.
