A former Strictly Come Dancing professional has revealed how BBC bosses axed dancers without any notice during the middle of a tour. The 48-year-old, who appeared on the programme from 2006 to 2013, told Express.co.uk about a ruthless moment when multiple dancers were dismissed midway through the Strictly tour and were expected to continue performing immediately afterwards.
Dancers called into office one by one
He said: "Back in my day, I remember we were on tour, and they called us into the office one by one on tour in front of the producers and told you if you were coming back or you weren't coming back the next year. This was on a Strictly professional tour halfway through."
"They brought us in to say whether or not we were back for the next series. People like Ian Waite, Darren Bennett, Brian Fortuna, Lilia Kopylova - there were at least six of them who didn't come back."
Mixed emotions after verdicts
"So then you come out in the room, and you've been asked back, and but you don't want to show how happy you are because some of your friends are not going [to be] back there next year."
"So I just thought that was a bit weird. So it [a mass cull] has happened many years before, and my opinion on that is, you get to a point on Strictly where you either get to an age or you've done enough years that you, I feel, you become a little bit like dead wood."
Fresh blood welcomed
"Take Brendan Cole for example. He's a great friend of mine. He did 15 years on the show. [It's time to] get rid of him. Get some fresh blood in there," reports the Express.
"Like last year, they brought on Alexis [Warr], the new girl. I thought she was absolutely amazing, a brilliant addition to Strictly. So you have to know when to step aside and let someone else come in and take over."
