IT’S been described as a “bloodbath” as several of the much loved Strictly Come Dancing pros have been culled in an attempt by bosses to overhaul the show.

But the decision of who goes has led to a startling realisation and left a sour taste in my mouth.

Strictly bosses have unleashed chaos by axing a string of surprising pros to ‘freshen up’ the show following Tess and Claudia’s departureCredit: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Ray Burmiston

Karen Hauer, who is the show’s longest serving woman, has been brutally axed from the BBC show after 13 yearsCredit: BBC
Hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman decided to hang up their dance shoes and leave the Saturday night show after 11 years together, now the BBC have decided it’s an opportunity to ‘freshen up’ the professional dancing line-up.

There’s been comparisons of it being like a top football manager refreshing their squad – and it certainly feels like it’s jobs for the boys.

With the show’s longest serving female Karen Hauer being sensationally dropped there is a toxic truth to the decision of who is staying and who is going – and it’s the women who are suffering the most.

Alongside Karen, 43, who joined the show in 2012, insiders are saying Nadiya Bychkova, 36, Michelle Tsiakkas, 30, and Luba Mustuk, 36, have all been given their marching orders.

Interestingly, it’s four women who have been dropped with the only man being let go is Gorka Marquez, 35, who had already stepped back from the show in 2025 having landed a judging role on the Spanish version of Strictly, Bailando con las Estrellas.

While Neil Jones, 43, and Nancy Xu, 34, are thought not to be getting celebrity partners, which is deemed a demotion. This will be the second year both have been left out of competing.

With practically any TV presenter worth their salt throwing their hat in the ring to land the coveted roles of Strictly hosts, it’s no surprise that show boss Sarah James and the BBC executives have decided for their 22nd year it’s a chance to shake things up.

There’s no doubt that the show has been dogged by scandals in recent years and this is an effort to clear the decks and have a clean slate but it feels like the girls are being punished when it was mostly the boys misbehaving.

In 2024 Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima left the show after facing serious allegations from former show partners.

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

While fellow Italian Graziano was sacked by the BBC after he kicked Love Island’s Zara McDermott during their rehearsals on the show in 2023. The bizarre thing is that they actually need MORE female professionals than male as the previous years they have had more male celebrities taking part than female.

In 2025, nine men [counting Christopher Dennis who competed in drag as La Voix] took part compared to only six women. It was the same in 2024 with nine men in the final line up and only six women.

It’s been well documented that the celeb bookers on the show have struggled to get females to agree to do the show – Amber Davies had tried three times previously to get on but was rejected. After Dani Dyer injured herself, the bosses were so keen to have a young female celeb to replace her that they signed Amber up with just 24 hours to spare before the show started.

An TV executive said last year: “Usually it’s female celebrities who are more keen to take part. Not only is it an opportunity to get dressed up but appearing on Strictly is also much more fortuitous for a woman’s careers than men’s. But it’s got more challenging to get them to agree.”

Nadiya Bychkova is said to be ‘devastated’ about being dropped as her friends claimed it ‘stinks of ageism’Credit: BBC

Michelle Tsiakkas was also given marching orders by Strictly bossesCredit: BBC

Luba Mustuk’s shock axing make it feel like the girls are being punished when it was mostly the boys misbehaving.Credit: BBC
It’s also been suggested that the decision of who stays and who goes from this year’s line up is being decided by age.

A friend of Nadiya’s said: “Her axing smacks of ageism. They’re clearing all the old crew out to make way for new dancers.

“Nadiya’s one of the most popular dancers so she can’t understand why she won’t be back. She’s devastated. The show is her life. She’s not sure what she’ll do next.”

But age only seems to matter when it comes to women. Nadiya is just 36 while the oldest female dancer Karen is only 43.  Anton Du Beke was working as a professional dancer until he was 54 and the only reason he stopped was because he became a judge.

It’s not the first time Strictly have come under fire for the treatment of older women on the show.  Dame Arlene Phillips was 65 when she was axed as a judge in 2008. She was replaced by popstar Alesha Dixon, 30 years her junior – and who had won the glitter ball the year before.

It led to the then-equality minister Harriet Harman calling for Arlene, who has worked with everyone from Elton John and Diana Ross, to make a return to the BBC show, saying that she was a victim of “age discrimination” in the House of Commons.

And the problem is that losing the more veteran dancers also means you’ve lost the experience they have.

Thankfully after rumours Katya Jones might be on the chopping block, bosses have given her a repreive and offered her a new contract.

When I had Katya, who has done 10 series of the show, on the cover of Fabulous last year she told me how much Karen Hauer had welcomed her to the team – and it led to Katya herself also playing it forward when new dancers joined.

Katya, who danced with Lewis Cope in 2025 told me: “When I joined a decade ago, Karen told me because she hadn’t come from that real dancing competition background she had found it quite hard when she joined. She said ‘they didn’t really tell me what to do. There was no guidebook and it was very competitive.’

“But she said she thought it had really evolved over the years. She said: ‘Now I’m one of the older dancers. When you dancers come in I try to be helpful and offer them advice,’ She did that for me and now I do the same and try to guide new people when they join.”

And actually over the years some of the professionals have become as popular as the celebrities themselves.

I recently attended the final night of the Strictly Come Dancing live tour and numerous fans in the crowd were holding posters cheering on previous double winner pro Vito Coppola as well as Katya and I also spotted another declaring they were “Karen Hauer’s Number 1 fan’.

While it’s exciting to freshen stuff up and bring in new talent, bosses do need to be careful that with so much change on the show, if we lose all our favourite Strictly dancers the show might end up completely unrecognisable – and much worse off for it!

The BBC has been contacted for comment.

Kelly Allen pictured with Katya Jones, who is said to be returning for the upcoming seriesCredit: shot by Mark Hayman

Giovanni Pernice was accused of bullying his 2023 dance partner, actress Amanda AbbingtonCredit: PA

Italian Graziano was sacked by the BBC after he kicked Love Island’s Zara McDermott during their rehearsals on the show in 2023Credit: PA

Kelly Allen with Tess DalyCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd