Strictly Come Dancing bosses have confirmed the professional dancers that will be returning for the new series, after a string of stars were axed in a brutal cast cull.

In recent months Nadiya Bychkova, Karen Hauer, 43, Michelle Tsiakkas, 30, Luba Mushtuk, 36, and Gorka Marquez, 35, have all been given the boot.

But the dancers that will be back on the dancefloor later this year have now been announced, and they include Dianne Buswell, who competed on the show last year while pregnant with her first child, and gave birth to son Bowden in March.

Amy Dowden will also be back on the show, after her stint on last year’s run came to an early end, when she and Thomas Skinner were the first pair to be eliminated.

Also set to return are: Julian Caillon, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Jowita Przystał, Johannes Radebe, Aljaž Škorjanec, Alexis Warr, Kai Widdrington, Nancy Xu, Lauren Oakley and Vito Coppola.

Bosses also revealed that there will be brand new professional dancers joining the line-up in 2026, while judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and Head Judge Shirley Ballas are also set to return.

However, they have still not secured new hosts following Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman’s departure, and it’s a race against time with just four months to go before the 24th series is due to kick off.

Last week, Gorka confirmed his permanent departure from Strictly Come Dancing – putting an end to ongoing uncertainty regarding his future on the show.

The Spanish ballroom professional is the latest high-profile name to be leaving the much-loved programme amid this year’s bloodbath as producers make sweeping cast changes ahead of its 24th series later this year.

Taking to Instagram on Tuesday, he wrote: ‘After last year’s decision to step down as a full-time professional due to scheduling conflicts between Strictly and Dancing With The Stars Spain, I’ve decided that now is the time to hang up my dance shoes and say goodbye to Strictly Come Dancing.

‘I will always be incredibly grateful to Strictly and the BBC for everything.

‘Being part of the show has been so much more than just a professional opportunity—over the past 10 years, it allowed me to build a career from my passion, find love, start a family, and make lifelong friends. For that, I will forever be thankful.

‘Although I’m stepping away from the dance floor, I can’t wait to dance on the Strictly Pro Tour starting this week and continue being part of this incredible family.

‘Now it’s time to take a step back, enjoy the sidelines… and hopefully hold up a few paddles and give out some tens along the way.

‘Thank you to everyone who has supported me and shared their love throughout this incredible journey. Keep dancing.’

Leaks about celebrity competitors normally begin to circulate around this time of year, but instead all the focus is on finding replacements for Claudia and Tess, who departed the flagship show last year.

Tess and Claudia announced they were leaving back in October but six months on there is still no confirmation of who will take over.

After weeks of speculation and multiple major names turning the job down, nine shortlisted stars were summoned to a top-secret location in London to battle it out in full-scale dress rehearsals with a judging panel and live band in a bid to get the troubled show back on track.

BBC bosses held secret auditions and chemistry tests with the celebrities and forced the stars to sign strict NDAs to keep the tryouts under wraps.

A source told The Sun: ‘It’s not just about reading autocue. They’ll be looking at how people work together and humour is a massive part of it. There’s everything to play for.’

The chosen few who were called to the final test were watched closely and bosses are hoping to make a decision soon.

Among those confirmed to be in the callbacks were Rylan Clark, Emma Willis, Tom Allen, podcast host Angela Scanlon and One Show presenter Alex Jones.

Other stars summoned to the auditions were This Morning host Alison Hammond, The Chase presenter Bradley Walsh, RuPaul’s Drag Race star La Voix and Radio 2’s Zoe Ball.

A source said: ‘They really want to bring the fun this year. It’s all about chemistry, who clicks instantly and can keep the energy up live on air.

‘They could stick with two female hosts as that’s worked brilliantly. But they’re also open to mixing it up.

‘If Rylan and Tom Allen click, that could be a hilarious pairing. Equally, they could even introduce a third presenter to shake things up.’

Following the auditions, a source told Daily Mail’s Alison Boshoff that four clear frontrunners have emerged: Angela, Rylan, Emma and Zoe.

The celebrities all tried out in various combinations; and Rylan worked well with all three of the front-running girls.

Zoe and Angela was deemed a dud, but the former Radio 2 star worked well with Emma.

‘Angela was the surprise hit – she did really well. The BBC said that this had to be all about the chemistry between the presenters and their ability to react to live comments and situations – and she shone.

‘She was good with everyone except for Zoe. And Rylan was good with everyone.’

It’s understood that those with bigger online followings have been chosen over dancers who are not so TikTok friendly as the series tries desperately to attract a younger audience.

One example appears to be axed Nadiya Bychkova, 36, who boasts 19,000 followers, while Dianne Buswell, also 36, with 966,000 followers has kept her place in the line-up.

Karen Hauer, who was Strictly’s longest-serving female dancer, is a similar story with her 9,000 followers while safe newcomer Alexis Warr, 25, has a whopping 190,000.

A source said: ‘Strictly is always looking for ways to increase its audience in terms of volume, but also in terms of attracting new, young viewers.

‘Social media is a massive part of broadening that appeal, and TikTok is the perfect medium for a show where music and dance is at the forefront.

‘They won’t simply lose someone from the line up because they aren’t big on TikTok, but it might just be the thing that saves them from exiting the line-up.’

Meanwhile Fleur East and Janette Manrara have also reportedly been axed from Strictly Come Dancing’s spin-off It Takes Two.

Insiders say bosses are plotting a major revamp of the BBC Two weeknight show in the wake of a string of scandals that have rocked the franchise.

Former Strictly pro Janette, 42, took over hosting duties in 2021 after eight years on the main show, while pop star Fleur, 38, joined the line-up in 2023 after reaching the final the year before.

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

‘Fans will be stunned that this bloodbath is continuing, but bosses are determined to overhaul the show completely,’ an industry source told The Sun.

‘Nobody feels safe right now and there’s a real drive behind the scenes to usher in a fresh era after all the recent drama.

‘But the priority is a clean slate by September and putting distance between the show and the controversies of recent years.

Strictly has been hit by a string of scandals including claims of drug taking and abusive behaviour towards contestants by pro dancers.

Pros Giovanni Pernice and Graziano di Prima both left the show, with Graziano going after allegations that he had stamped on his partner Zara McDermott. Pernice was investigated by the BBC over bullying allegations made by his partner Amanda Abbington, some of which were upheld.

There is no suggestion that any of the pros going as part of the Strictly refresh in the wake of the departure of Winkleman and Daly have been involved in any wrongdoing.