4 days ago
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There may be even more professional dancers facing the axe from the Strictly Come Dancing line up.
New reports this week have stated a mass cull of dancers has taken place in recent days including Nadiya Bychkova, Luba Mushtuk and Michelle Tsiakkas.
It comes as hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman are yet to be replaced after they left the show at the end of the last series.
Now a new report claims that there could still be changes in the pro line up and more could be going as BBC bosses continue with the biggest shake up in the show's 22 year history.
Fan favourites incuding Karen Hauer, 43, and Katya Jones, 36, who have been part of the show for years could also be at risk.
Karen is the show's longest serving female professional after making her debut on the show in 2012, but she has never won the series. Katya started on Strictly ten years ago and has lifted the Glitterball once, in 2017 with her celebrity partner, actor Joe McFadden.
A source told The Sun on Monday: 'It's been some time since there was a 'churn' in the pro line-up, but they do happen every few years and there hasn't been a big one in some time.
There may reportedly be even more professional dancers axed from the Strictly Come Dancing line up (celebs and pros seen on the most recent tour)
There is thought to have been a mass cull of dancers in recent days including Nadiya Bychkova (seen), Luba Mushtuk and Michelle Tsiakkas
'The way producers look at it is a little like running a football team: even after Man City win the league they still change their team around and bring in fresh blood constantly, to stay at the top of their game.
'A lot of the people going are now established names and stars in their own right but you have to remember that to be on the show, they also had to replace someone else at one point.'
The BBC said 'plans for Strictly Come Dancing 2026 will be confirmed in due course'.
It comes as Nadiya flaunted her jaw-dropping figure in a white bikini on Instagram as she continued to brush off her Strictly Come Dancing axing on Monday.
The professional dancer, 36, has been dropped from the show as the BBC tries to 'completely refresh' it after scandals and the departure of presenters Tess and Claudia.
Now Nadiya has put on a brave face as she posed for a sizzling bikini snap during a luxury £3K-a-night holiday at Regnum The Crown in Turkey.
Earlier on Monday it was reported that Nadiya has been left devastated by her Strictly axing, with her friends accusing the show of ageism following a mass cull of dancers.
Nadiya had been in Strictly Come Dancing for eight years and in that time partnered celebrities including TV presenter Dan Walker, singer Matt Goss and actor Davood Ghadami.
A friend of the dancer has reportedly hit out at the axing and taken aim at the BBC.
Long serving dancer Gorka (pictured) is also out in the cull. He met his British fiancé Gemma Atkinson on the show in 2017 and has been in three finals during his decade on Strictly
Luba has also been cut from Strictly after dancing for eight years on the show, but she did not have a partner last year
Michelle has also gone after partnering actor Jamie Borthwick last year. Borthwick was at the centre of two controversies over behaviour last year
'Her axing smacks of ageism,' a friend reportedly told The Sun.
They added: '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.'
Long-serving pro Gorka Marquez is also out in the cull – as are Luba Mushtuk and Michelle Tsiakkas.
Elsewhere the publication reported that two more celebrities have been benched for the upcoming series.
Neil Jones, 43, and Nancy Xu, 34, will not have celeb partners this year as they too have been dropped.
They might still be involved in group dances, however, unlike Nadiya, Gorka, Luba and Michelle.
The Daily Mail has contacted the BBC and representatives for Nadiya, Neil and Nancy for comment.
Last year Nadiya was partnered with rugby player Chris Robshaw.
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