Strictly exits criticised as 'unfortunate pattern' emerges in 'brutal cull'

Ever since Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly announced their departure from Strictly last October, the show hasn't left the headlines.

In the midst of intense speculation over who could be replacing the long-running hosts, it was revealed that professional dancers Gorka Márquez, Nadiya Bychkova, Luba Mushtuk and Michelle Tsiakkas would not be returning for the next series.

As the shockwaves continued, Karen Hauer, the show's longest-serving professional, has also confirmed her exit from the show, bringing the total of departing professionals to five.

There have also been reports that Janette Manrara and Fleur East had been 'axed' from Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two. However, the BBC has denied these claims, stating, "It is factually incorrect to claim that either has been 'axed'. Plans for Strictly Come Dancing 2026 will be confirmed in due course."

While Janette and Fleur's departure has been addressed, theories have taken hold online that the professional dancers leaving the show can't continue to appear on it because they don't have a large enough social media presence, and because of their age.

Looking at the number of TikTok followers the dancers have, Dianne Buswell has close to one million, while Nadiya Bychkova, who is leaving, has 19,600 followers.

Similarly, Karen Hauer, now departing, has just shy of 10,000 followers on the platform, while newcomer Alexis Warr has 190,600. The same pattern can be seen across all departing professionals - they have fewer social media followers than those staying on the show.

According to The Sun, who refer to the departures as a "brutal cull," an insider from the series says, "Last year there were more than a billion views of Strictly clips on social media platforms and that was up 40 per cent on 2024."

“The wind is in their sails in that respect and they’d be crazy not to want to maximise that impact by bringing in people with that strong presence on social media - and losing those that don’t."

"It can’t just be down to the profile of the stars who come on the show. Now the pros contribute to that success as well."

Meanwhile, the Daily Mail claims the professionals have been edged out of Strictly due to 'ageism.'

They say an insider tells them, "The BBC wants younger women so they sacked the one they believed to be too old. They should have more respect for older people."

"This is becoming an unfortunate pattern with the BBC. Look what they did to Arlene Phillips . They sacked her [from the judging panel and replaced her with a younger judge, Alesha Dixon, and that all went wrong."

However, the BBC Has not issued any statements relating to how the exiting professionals were selected, and Karen Hauer's departure statement alludes to the decision to leave being her own.

Sarah James, executive producer on the show, paid tribute to Karen through a social media post.

"We would like to say a huge and heartfelt thank you to Karen Hauer for her incredible contribution to Strictly Come Dancing over the last 14 years," she wrote.

Sarah added, "As the longest-serving female professional dancer in the history of the show, Karen has given so much of herself and her time to the programme, and we are extremely grateful for the passion, creativity and dedication she has brought to every single performance."

"She has captivated audiences with her talent, warmth and genuine love of dance and has been responsible for some of the most iconic partnerships and joyous routines the Strictly dance floor has ever seen."

Sarah concluded, "We thank her for all these memorable moments and for her incredible work ethic. Her professionalism and sense of humour shine through everything she achieves and we can’t wait to see where her next chapter takes her."