Departing Strictly Come Dancing professional Nadiya Bychkova has spoken of her excitement about the show's new presenting line-up, particularly praising former co-star Johannes Radebe.
Bychkova's departure and new presenters
Earlier this year, the Ukrainian dancer revealed she was leaving the show after nine years. She joined in 2017 and said on social media: "After 9 wonderful years, this part of my journey with Strictly Come Dancing is evolving."
The news followed reports of considerable upheaval among the professional dancers, including Karen Hauer's announcement that she would leave after 14 years. The new line-up of dancers and presenters includes Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe, and Johannes Radebe.
Excitement for Johannes Radebe
In an exclusive interview with Betway, Bychkova shared why she believes Radebe will bring something unique to the hosting role. She said: "I'm really excited for them all! I'm so excited for Johannes to be in that role. I absolutely love him, and he deserves the world. He's worked so hard throughout his career. I remember when he first joined the show and didn't have a partner in his first year. We all know he's an incredible dancer, but he's also an incredible human being."
She added: "I genuinely can't wait to see him shine. I think it's amazing to have someone in that role who is a professional dancer. Obviously, all the presenters are fantastic, but having someone who understands everything inside out from a dancer's perspective is such a lovely addition."
Life after Strictly
Bychkova, who partnered with Chris Robshaw in 2025, is moving into more creative projects. She said: "I'm definitely moving more into the creative side of things, with choreographing, producing shows, and developing my own ideas. I love collaborating, and I have a collaboration coming up with one of the orchestras in the UK to create a show combining music and dance in a way I haven't seen done before. I'm really excited about that."
She also mentioned exploring acting, having done a film for Japanese Netflix, and is set to play Tinker Bell in Peter Pan panto this December. "There are also some TV projects coming up that I can't talk about yet, but they are things I've always wanted to do. It's a very creative future for me," she said.
