This year's professional line-up could look very different?
Strictly Come Dancing is undergoing some massive changes for 2026 season, and it looks like a big part of that is a major overhaul to the line-up of professional dancers.
The Sun is reporting that Gorka Marquez, Luba Mushtuk, Michelle Tsiakkas, and Nadiya Bychkova have all allegedly been axed from the show, and that Nancy Xu and Neil Jones have been 'benched', meaning they will only appear in group dances rather than be paired with a celebrity.
The publication also states that Karen Hauer and Katya Jones could also be at risk.
This should all be taken with a pinch of salt at the moment, as none of the dancers in question, the show, or the BBC have responded to the reports at the time of writing.
The line-up of professional dancers is usually confirmed in April, so it's likely that we'll have to wait a month until we know exactly who is in and out.
And if some/all of the rumoured Strictly regulars aren't returning, we'll also be learning which new faces are replacing them.
Regardless of what happens with the professional dancers, we know for certain that this year's Strictly will look quite different to what we're used to.
That's because Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman shockingly announced last year that they were stepping away from hosting the show, with their last episode airing at Christmas.
The rumours regarding the professional line-up are heating up lately, but are nothing compared to all the reports and speculation about who will be replacing the presenting duo.
Recently, Claudia responded to the rumours about why she and Tess quit, denying that the duo had decided to step away from the show due to all the controversies that had it had become embroiled in.
https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/reality-tv/a70691511/strictly-come-dancing-2026-four-dancers-axed/ 
Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2026 3:37 am