‘Clean living’ Strictly star ‘survives the brutal cast cull as he’s signed up for another series’

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A new professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing is believed to have avoided being cut from the show and will be returning for the next season, the 24th series.

According to reports, Julian Caillon has made a strong impression on show executives and will remain on the program, following the removal of six professional dancers.

I was so thrilled to see Julian join Strictly last year! He did amazingly well, making it all the way to the semi-finals with Balvinder Sopal – they were a fantastic pairing. I really hoped they’d go even further!

Strictly Come Dancing hasn’t officially revealed which professional dancers will be back for the next season, but an announcement is expected soon.

Several professional dancers – Karen Hauer, Michelle Tsiakkas, Nadiya Bychkova, Luba Mushtuk, and Gorka Marquez – have recently left the show.

According to a source, Julian was popular with both management and the audience.

They went on to tell The Sun: ‘Most importantly he leads a very clean-living and trouble free life.

His fiancée is a fitness professional, and together they present a healthy, attractive image – exactly the kind of role models the company wants, especially given recent events.

Julian has a strong social media presence with 52,000 TikTok followers, which likely helped him stay on the show, as producers were reportedly considering dancers’ online followings.

Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Strictly Come Dancing for comment.

According to sources, producers of Strictly Come Dancing considered the number of TikTok followers professional dancers had when deciding who to remove from the show. They reportedly prioritized keeping dancers with larger online followings, hoping to attract a younger audience.

Some people are saying that dancers with larger social media followings were favored over those who aren’t as popular on TikTok.

It’s just SO unfair! They got rid of Nadiya, who only had 19,000 followers, but Dianne Buswell, with a whopping 966,000, is still in the competition? Seriously?! I just don’t understand how they can make these decisions! It feels like popularity is all that matters, and it’s breaking my heart for Nadiya!

Karen, a professional dancer on Strictly for many years, has around 9,000 followers on social media. In comparison, Alexis Warr, who is new to the show, already has a much larger following of 190,000.

Reports suggest that Fleur East and Janette Manrara have also been let go from It Takes Two, the Strictly Come Dancing companion show.

Sources close to the show reveal that BBC Two’s weeknight program is facing a significant overhaul following recent controversies.

Janette, a former professional dancer on Strictly, became a host in 2021 after eight years performing on the show. Pop singer Fleur joined the show as a contestant in 2023, following a successful run to the final in 2022.

But now both stars are said to be in the firing line as executives push for a bold new direction.

An insider revealed that viewers will be shocked the show is still making such dramatic cuts, but those in charge are committed to a major revamp.

People are feeling uneasy and there’s a strong push to start a new chapter after everything that’s happened recently.

The main goal is to start fresh by September and move the show forward, leaving behind the issues it’s faced recently.

According to a source, BBC executives’ recent decisions don’t necessarily mean Janette and Fleur won’t be involved in future projects, and they could potentially take on different roles within the organization.

Leaders are reportedly planning a complete overhaul after years of complaints and issues with the show’s dancers.

This year, both Neil Jones, 43, and Nancy Xu, 34, won’t be paired with celebrities on the show – a first for Jones, who typically hasn’t had a celebrity partner. However, they are expected to still participate in the larger group dances.

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2026-04-10 03:49