ANOTHER top Strictly Come Dancing professional has been “brutally axed” from the BBC show after 13 years on the series, it has been claimed.

The fan favourite, who is the sequin-studded programme’s longest-serving dancer, was “very upset” after learning her fate according to reports.

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Illustration of the "Strictly Come Dancing" logo over a golden disco ball.
A Strictly Come Dancing star is said to be ‘very upset’ after being axed from the BBC seriesCredit: PA
 

Karen Hauer smiling in a yellow feathered and sequined dance dress.
Reports claim Karen Hauer is the latest show pro to be given the bootCredit: BBC
 

Strictly Come Dancing 2023
She is the longest-serving dancer on the seriesCredit: PA
Now MailOnline has claimed Karen Hauer, 43, who reached the Strictly final in 2014 but has never won the coveted Glitterball Trophy, is the latest in a string of stars to be given the chop.

Her reported axe comes just a day after we told how Venezuelan born Karen – as well as Katya Jones – were at risk.

This week, The Sun revealed that Nadiya Bychkova, 36, Neil Jones, 43, and Nancy Xu, 34, were the latest casualties of radical changes to the line-up.

The completed list of who’s in and who’s out is unlikely to be published for another month, but “difficult conversations” are already taking place with some pros.

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Gorka Marquez, 35, Luba Mushtuk, 36, and Michelle Tsiakkas, 30, are also said to be heading out of the door.

A source told MailOnline: “Karen is the latest professional dancer to be told her contract will not be renewed this year.

“It’s very much a case of out with the old and in with the new.

“As the longest-serving female dancer, Karen found out last week that her time on Strictly is over.”

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The publication’s source added: “Karen was obviously very upset after being told the news, but she is trying to remain positive about the future.

“She works as a choreographer and knows she can focus more on that, as well as her work in the fitness industry.

Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and Karen Hauer dancing on stage during a dress rehearsal.
A source reportedly told how it is ‘out with the old and in with the new’ on the showCredit: PA
 

Tess Daly, Karen Hauer, and Claudia Winkleman posing together.
Rumours are circulating that bosses want a fresh start after the departure of Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman as hostsCredit: Instagram
 

Luba Mushtuk, a Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer, posing in a sparkling dress and pink feather boa.
Luba Mushtuk has also been given the bootCredit: PA
“It’s also looking increasingly likely that Aljaž Škorjanec will not return, while Carlos Gu and Johannes Radebe have been given the green light to stay”.

The Sun has reached out to Strictly reps and representatives for Karen Hauer for comment.

Rumours have circulated that bosses are keen to make a fresh start to coincide with new presenters being brought in to replace Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly, who quit the long-running contest last series after 11 years’ co-hosting.

Strictly stars who’ve been forced to pull out

Here is a full list of stars who have been forced to quit the long-running BBC show

Dani Dyer (series 23) – forced to pull out of the competition after suffering an ankle injury in rehearsals

Kristian Nairn (series 23) – forced to pull out of the competition on medical grounds

Nick Knowles (series 22) – eliminated from the show following injury

Amanda Abbington (series 21) – pulled out of the competition due to “personal reasons”

Tony Adams (series 20) – pulled out of the competition after sustaining an injury

Nicola Adams (series 18) – axed after partner Katya Jones tested positive for COVID-19

Will Bayley (series 17) – pulled out of the competition after sustaining a knee injury

Jamie Laing (series 17) – pulled out of the competition after suffering a foot injury in rehearsals

Will Young (series 14) – quit the show after struggles with mental and physical health

Jade Johnson (series 7) – pulled out after suffering a knee injury in rehearsals

John Sergeant (series 6) – quit the show despite public popularity after flailing in the leaderboards

Kell Brook (series 5) – pulled out following the death of her father Kenneth

Jimmy Tarbuck (series 4) – pulled out following doctors advice

Execs also want to put distance between Strictly and the string of scandals that have rocked the programme in recent years.

They include dancer Giovanni Pernice being accused of bullying his 2023 dance partner, actress Amanda Abbington, which led to a probe that exonerated him of the more serious complaints.

Also, Graziano di Prima was sacked by the BBC after he kicked Love Island’s Zara McDermott during their rehearsals on the show in 2023.

Dancers who leave the contest could face a bleak future away from Strictly’s huge spotlight.

Some have been lucky enough to find other roles on the TV behemoth — with Anton Du Beke joining the panel in 2021 and Janette Manrara becoming a co-host on BBC Two spin-off It Takes Two.

Others who chose to leave, such as Oti Mabuse and Kevin Clifton, have moved on to lucrative car­eers elsewhere.

But, for many, the end comes swiftly without warning — and in a phone call that lasts as little as 15 minutes.

A source told The Sun: “It’s brutal. Once they’re axed, there is very little in the way of duty of care and they are left to lick their wounds alone.

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“The dancers are often told their fate in a 15-minute phone call, even when they’ve been on the show years.

“Many of them feel like the BBC has pulled the rug from under them, with no warning.”

Michelle Tsiakkas posing in a red sequined and feathered dress.
Relative Strictly newcomer Michelle Tsiakkas, 30, is also said to be heading out of the doorCredit: BBC
 

Nadiya Bychkova in a dance pose with confetti falling.
Nadiya Bychkova will also no longer star