Strictly Come Dancing Reveals Returning Professionals!

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 , , 43, Michelle Tsiakkas, 30, , 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 reigning champion Carlos Gu.

Also set to return are: , Julian Caillon, Amy Dowden, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Jowita Przystał, , Aljaž Škorjanec, Alexis Warr, , Nancy Xu, and Vito Coppola.

Bosses also revealed that there will be brand new professional dancers joining the line-up in 2026, while judges , Motsi Mabuse, and Head Judge will also be back.

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. 

Leaks about celebrity competitors normally begin to circulate around this time of year, but instead all the focus is on finding replacements for and , 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.'

Bosses are believed to be testing a range of combinations and nothing is off the table.