Strictly Come Dancing's new professional dancers were all smiles as they headed for their first day of work on the show ahead of the launch of the 2026 series. It was announced over the weekend that Aleksandra Isaeva, Cristian Priori, Lethabo Monametsi, Maddie Ingoldsby and Mark Karmalita will be joining the BBC One dance show, which is due to return to our screens this September.
New Professionals Announced
The five new pros join after Gorka Marquez, Michelle Tsiakkas, Karen Hauer, Nadiya Bychkova and Luba Mushtuk were announced to be leaving Strictly earlier this year. The new dancers join Strictly’s returning professionals Alexis Warr, Aljaz Skorjanec, Amy Dowden, Carlos Gu, Dianne Buswell, Jowita Przystal, Julian Caillon, Kai Widdrington, Katya Jones, Lauren Oakley, Nancy Xu, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin and Vito Coppola.
First Day of Rehearsals
Sarah James, executive producer at BBC Studios, said in a statement: "Aleksandra, Cristian, Lethabo, Maddie and Mark are all outstanding world-class dancers and we can’t wait to see them shine under the Strictly glitterball this September." On Monday, July 27, the newcomers were seen heading into rehearsals for the first time alongside the returning pros. The dancers usually pre-record routines set to feature in the series, with the dates for those pre-records already being confirmed last week.
