Strictly Come Dancing 2026 tipped to lose another popular professional dancer after 14 years

Amid reports of an ongoing Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer shake-up, it has been alleged that Karen Hauer is the latest pro to be axed from the line-up.

Hauer is the longest-serving female pro dancer in the history of the entertainment programme, having joined in 2012, but the Daily Mail claims that she will not be back for this year's run.

Over the years, Hauer has been partnered with Mark Wright, Charles Venn, Chris Ramsey, and more recently, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey – though she has never won the show in her 14 seasons.

The closest she came to the Glitterball trophy was in 2020, where she finished in second place with Made in Chelsea star Jamie Laing.

Radio Times has reached out to the BBC and Hauer's representatives for comment.

The report comes just days after it was claimed that Gorka Márquez, Luba Mushtuk and Michelle Tsiakkas had all been dropped from the upcoming season, with producers said to want a "fresh start".

It was then reported that Nadiya Bychkova had been axed from the line-up, which was said to be a "huge shock" to the Ukrainian dancer.

In response to The Sun's report, a spokesperson for the BBC said: "Plans for Strictly Come Dancing 2026 will be confirmed in due course."

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The BBC tends to announce the Strictly professionals line-up in April. Last year, the show confirmed the line-up on Friday 11 April, adding two new dancers to the line-up.

Details of the new pros weren't announced straight away though, with the confirmation of Alexis Warr and Julian Caillon joining the fold in July 2025.

With this in mind, we can expect details on this reported shake-up to come soon.

Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One and iPlayer later this year.

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