Strictly Come Dancing bosses have confirmed the professional dancers who will return for the upcoming series following a significant cast cull that saw several stars axed. In recent months, Nadiya Bychkova, Karen Hauer, Michelle Tsiakkas, Luba Mushtuk, and Gorka Marquez were all dropped from the lineup.
The dancers set to grace the dancefloor later this year include reigning champion Carlos Gu, alongside Dianne Buswell, Julian Caillon, Amy Dowden, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Jowita Przystał, Johannes Radebe, Aljaž Škorjanec, Alexis Warr, Kai Widdrington, Nancy Xu, Lauren Oakley, and Vito Coppola.
Bosses also revealed that brand new professional dancers will join the lineup in 2026. The judging panel—Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke, and head judge Shirley Ballas—will also return.
However, the show has yet to secure new hosts following the departure of Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, with just four months until the 24th series is due to begin. Leaks about celebrity competitors usually circulate around this time, but attention remains focused on finding replacements for the former presenters, who announced their exit last October.
After weeks of speculation and several major names declining the role, nine shortlisted stars were summoned to a secret London location for full-scale dress rehearsals with a judging panel and live band. BBC bosses held secret auditions and chemistry tests, requiring participants to sign strict NDAs.
A source told The Sun: "It's not just about reading autocue. They'll be looking at how people work together and humour is a massive part of it. There's everything to play for."
Among those confirmed in the callbacks were Rylan Clark, Emma Willis, Tom Allen, podcast host Angela Scanlon, and The One Show presenter Alex Jones. Others summoned included This Morning host Alison Hammond, The Chase presenter Bradley Walsh, RuPaul's Drag Race star La Voix, and Radio 2's Zoe Ball.
The source added: "They really want to bring the fun this year. It's all about chemistry—who clicks instantly and can keep the energy up live on air. They could stick with two female hosts as that's worked brilliantly, but they're also open to mixing it up. If Rylan and Tom Allen click, that could be a hilarious pairing. Equally, they could even introduce a third presenter to shake things up."
