Strictly Come Dancing has confirmed three new professional dancers will join the line-up when the show returns to BBC One this autumn. Graziano Di Prima, Johannes Radebe, and Luba Mushtuk will don the sequins for the flagship Saturday night show.
Di Prima, an Italian Latin champion from Sicily, described his new role as a 'dream come true'. The 24-year-old, who has been touring with dance company Burn the Floor for the past three years, said: 'I can't wait to give all of myself on the dancefloor.'
South African Latin champion Radebe, 31, said being chosen was 'one of the greatest achievements of my dancing career'. He has been a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing South Africa for the past two seasons, reaching the final both times. Mushtuk, a four-time Italian dance champion from Russia, said she was 'raring to get started' and called the opportunity 'priceless'. The 28-year-old has worked on the show as an assistant choreographer since 2016 and has appeared in group routines.
The arrivals follow the departure of Brendan Cole earlier this year and Chloe Hewitt. Executive producer Louise Rainbow thanked both for their contributions, saying: 'A huge thank you goes to Brendan from all of us for 15 amazing series of Strictly.' Cole, one of the original dancers, was dropped in January, leaving Anton Du Beke as the only original professional dancer still on the show.
The new series will boast its fullest quota of professional dancers to date, bringing the number to 18. Returning pros include Kevin Clifton, Karen Clifton, Anton Du Beke, Oti Mabuse, and Pasha Kovalev. The celebrity contestants will be announced later this year.
