Strictly Come Dancing has announced Love Island winner Cach Mercer as the fifth contestant for its 2026 line-up, but the revelation has ignited a fierce debate among fans after it emerged that Mercer has significant dance experience. According to Young Minds, a charity for which Mercer serves as an ambassador, the star is described as a "professional dancer from East London."
Dance Background Revealed
Mercer, who won Love Island in 2025, appears to have training in Hip Hop and Afrobeats and regularly posts choreographed dance videos online. He has also taught dance classes for events such as Move It and Platinum Performing Arts. This background has led to accusations of unfair advantage, with some fans questioning his eligibility as a "celebrity" contestant.
One fan wrote on Instagram: "Had to google who he was, and the first thing that came up was 'professional dancer'!!!" Another added: "A professional dancer? How is he getting on as a celeb then?" A third commented that it gave "such an advantage when they’re already dancers" and was "extremely unfair to the other contestants."
Fan Confusion and Defence
Some fans initially misinterpreted the announcement, with one writing: "Oooh he’s a professional dancer! So we are getting some new pros this year!" They quickly corrected themselves: "Oh wait no, this says celebrity reveal. He’s a Love Islander and professional dancer. I might just delete all this."
However, other fans defended Mercer, pointing out that his training is not in ballroom or Latin. "He's trained in hip-hop and afrobeats. He's never done ballroom or latin, never been to a stage school and never danced with a partner," one supporter said. "So he's well within the rules of the show." Another added: "When so many contestants have been to stage school and done musical theatre etc, it is well past time that we stopped calling people out for having previous dance experience."
Previous Controversies
This is not the first time Strictly has faced such backlash. Last year, Emmerdale star Lewis Cope and Love Island winner Amber Davies both came under fire for their prior dance training. Amber, who performs in musical theatre, responded: "We see the same thing over and over again and I feel like it doesn't matter what I say or how I feel, if I'm struggling, people will of course have things to say because I do musical theatre." She added: "I have worked my a**e off to be taken seriously in the musical theatre world."
Lewis, who danced as a child and reached three dance world championships, told Metro: "I don't really know where all that came from, to be honest. I trained as an actor, I danced a bit when I was a teen, but haven't since. It's only ever really been acting for me for a long, long time." He dismissed the criticism, saying: "To call me professionally trained or a professional dancer seems a bit bizarre, especially now that I'm working with these pros on the show. It's kind of an insult to them, really, to suggest I'm on their level."
