Strictly Come Dancing series 24

Professional dancers

In March 2026, it was reported that several professional dancers would be leaving the show.^[13][14] Later that month, Karen Hauer, the show's longest serving female professional who had appeared since the tenth series, confirmed her departure and said that it was "the right time" to leave the show and focus on other projects.^[15][16] Nadiya Bychkova, who had served as a professional since the fifteenth series was also announced to be leaving the show, and said in a statement that the show had "allowed [her] to discover new sides of [herself], develop new skills, and evolve as an artist in ways [she would] always be grateful for."^[17][18] Luba Mushtuk, who joined the show during the sixteenth series, also confirmed her departure, and thanked the show for "the amazing opportunity and unforgettable memories" adding that "it [had] truly meant the world to [her]".^[19][20] Michelle Tsiakkas, who joined during the twentieth series, subsequently confirmed she had been dismissed from the show. Tsiakkas said she was told via a Zoom call that her contract had not been renewed and said that her "dream was shattered", as well as that she was "grieving for her job".^[21] She ultimately decided not to participate in Strictly: The Professionals tour.^[22][23] The following month, Gorka Márquez, a professional since the fourteenth series, was the final professional to confirm to be leaving the show, following his reduced role the previous series due to his commitments as a judge on the Spanish version of the show Bailando con las estrellas.^[24] Márquez said that being part of Strictly Come Dancing had been "so much more than just a professional opportunity", adding that "it allowed [him] to build a career from [his] passion", and that he would "forever be thankful."^[25]

In May 2026, the BBC confirmed that Dianne Buswell, Julian Caillon, Vito Coppola, Amy Dowden, Carlos Gu, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Lauren Oakley, Jowita Przystał, Johannes Radebe, Aljaž Škorjanec, Alexis Warr, Kai Widdrington and Nancy Xu would all be returning for this series. Radebe was later confirmed to be co-presenting the show.^[26][27] In July 2026, five new professional dancers were announced for the series: Aleksandra Isaeva, Maddie Ingoldsby, Mark Karmalita, Lethabo Monametsi and Cristian Priori.^[28]