Strictly Come Dancing has been plunged into an age discrimination row as the professional dancers reportedly facing the ax have been revealed.
Some of the show’s biggest and best-loved stars who have competed for years are at risk of being axed in a major shake-up as bosses look to a younger generation of dancers, according to the sun.
Those believed to be at risk of losing their place on the show are Nadiya Bychkova, 35, Neil Jones, 42, Karen Hauer, 42, Gorka Marquez, 34, and Katya Jones.
Currently Katya, 35, is the only professional still in the competition, but was previously involved in a ‘groping’ scandal with her famous partner Wynne Evans.
By contrast, younger professionals like Jowita Przystal, 30, paired with Pete Wicks, and Vito Coppola, 32, dancing with Sarah Hadland, have wowed viewers.
After a year in which the beloved BBC show was hit by a series of scandals, sources now claim bosses are planning to bring in a new generation of young dancers, with up to five veteran names at risk of being axed.
A source said the sun: ‘Lineup review has always been about making a fresh start, and that will always be affected by which dancers performed well in this series.
‘The feeling is that the Strictly group is made up of some fading stars, while others are rising stars.
Strictly Come Dancing’s professional dancers reportedly facing the ax as bosses look to a younger generation of dancers have been revealed.
Some of the show’s biggest and best-loved stars who have competed for years are at risk of being eliminated in a major shake-up, according to The Sun (pictured, Nadiya Bychkova, Tom Dean).
Among those believed to be at risk are Nadiya Bychkova, Neil Jones (pictured), Karen Hauer, Gorka Marquez and Katya Jones, four of whom have already been eliminated.
‘And in many cases there are certain characters whose shoes can easily be filled by younger, more promising counterparts. It’s tough, but it’s part of the traditional show business business.
A representative for Strictly Come Dancing declined to comment. MailOnline has contacted representatives for Nadiya Bychkova, Neil Jones, Karen Hauer, Gorka Márquez and Katya Jones for comment.
Viewers of the beloved show were divided over reports that the show’s restructuring means saying goodbye to some fan favorites.
While some insisted they would “turn off” if the list of reported names disappeared, others admitted the program could use an update.
Those who were against the dismissal said: ‘I will stop watching if Gorka and Katya are fired!’; ‘This is so tone deaf! Perks are what people love. People follow and support professionals just as much, if not more, than celebrities. Wake up and kill a couple of judges!
‘We need better, more traditional song choices and routines’; “They just need to add more male professionals to balance out the girls”; ‘UMMM WHAT’; ‘If they do this, I predict the show won’t last much longer…dropping Gorka would be a huge mistake, he’s the reason so many of us watch it!’;
“Not Katya and Gorka, they are incredible dancers and also good choreographers that the show cannot lose”; ‘
Some of the favorites. Yes, the show changes, but eliminating viewer favorites in one fell swoop is shocking. I know TV changes from time to time, but to get rid of Neil, Katya, Karen, Gorka, etc., I think viewers can change the channel.
Viewers of the beloved show were divided over reports that the show’s restructuring means saying goodbye to some fan favorites.
After a year in which Strictly was hit by a series of scandals, sources now claim bosses are planning to bring in a new generation of young dancers (Karen Hauer pictured).
It was previously reported in July that some of Strictly’s biggest professional names were at risk of being axed as bosses planned to bring in some new young names.
A source told The Sun: “There are fears that being on the show will leave them more open to feeling entitled and untouchable.”
“It is not a done deal, and it will not simply be a matter of showing the door to the oldest or the longest in office. It would be a carefully considered process, with other factors also taken into account.
Before adding: “The fact that the BBC is even considering making big changes and bringing in new blood is a sign of how willing they are to push ahead and make every effort to ensure that nothing like this happens again.”
Strictly’s 20th anniversary has been marred by scandal, after actress Amanda Abbington unexpectedly left the show last October before claiming her partner Giovanni Pernice was abusing her. He was later acquitted of ten of his 16 charges.
The show was then hit by a fresh wave of scandal when Graziano Di Prima was sacked in July for ‘kicking’ his partner, Love Island star Zara McDermott.
Currently, only Katya is still competing on this year’s Strictly, but she was previously involved in a ‘groping’ scandal with her famous partner Wynne Evans.
Furthermore, it has also been reported that her professional partner Johannes Radebe is about to leave Strictly at the end of the series.
The South African dancer, who has become a fan favorite since joining the show in 2018, has landed two big projects in 2025, and sources now claim his schedule is too tight to return to the ballroom.
Johannes will star in Kinky Boots: The Musical for the first seven months of the year and is also working on a film adaptation of his life story.
The dancer is currently paired with Gladiators star Montell Douglas, and the pair are expected to make it to the finals.
A source said the sun: ‘Johannes is very loved on the program and there is not the slightest bit of bad feeling about his departure.
“Of course, bosses will probably try to find a way to bring him back at some point and he would certainly consider coming back.”
‘But for now, he has too much to juggle along with the competition. Not only are he working on the announced projects, but there are also other opportunities in the pipeline that he can now explore further.’
A Strictly Come Dancing representative declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline. A representative for Johannes Radebe has been contacted for comment.
From January to July, Johannes will star in a lead role in the touring production of Kinky Boots The Musical, written by pop legend Cyndi Lauper.
He plans to perform over 200 shows in 25 different cities across the UK and Ireland, in cities ranging from Dublin to Plymouth and Brighton to Edinburgh.
Elsewhere, it has also been reported that her professional partner Johannes Radebe is set to leave Strictly at the end of the series (pictured with Montell Douglas).