A Strictly Come Dancing professional has quit a live tour affiliated with the BBC series after being “axed” from the show’s lineup.
The celebrity dance competition is currently undergoing significant change following the departure of long-time hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, and it was reported earlier this week that Michelle Tsiakkas, 30, Gorka Márquez, 35, Luba Mushtuk, 36, Nadiya Bychkova, 36, and Karen Hauer, 43, had been dropped from the show.
Cypriot dancer Tsiakkas – who joined the show in 2022 – has now quit the professionals tour, seemingly in response to the news. Márquez and Mushtuk are still set to participate.
A statement from the tour’s official social media pages read: “Michelle Tsiakkas has decided not to take part in ‘Strictly The Professionals 2026 Tour.’
“We are naturally disappointed but respect her decision and wish her every success for the future.”
Tour rehearsals are scheduled to start next month with Márquez, Mushtuk, Vito Coppola, Neil Jones, Lauren Oakley, Jowita Przystał, Kai Widdrington, Nancy Xu, as well as newcomers Julian Caillon and Alexis Warr.
The Independent has contacted Tsiakkas for comment.
An official announcement about this year’s professionals will be announced in due course, according to the BBC, but a source said of the trio’s alleged axing: “Bosses want a fresh start and to bring in new faces after all the drama in recent years and create a new era.”
Tsiakkas joined in 2022 and was teamed up with actor Jamie Borthwick, her first celebrity partner, in 2024; they were eliminated in week 10.
Márquez joined Strictly in 2016 and has featured in three finals with celebrity partners Alexandra Burke, Maisie Smith and Helen Skelton. He also met his partner, influencer and presenter Gemma Atkinson, on the show in 2017.
Mushtuk first appeared on Strictly eight years ago but has not been partnered with a celebrity on the contest in recent years, while Bychkova, who joined the cast in 2017, has competed with the likes of Davood Ghadami and Dan Walker. She has never reached the final.
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Meanwhile, Hauer is the show’s longest-standing professional and has been partnered with stars ranging from late Hairy Bikers chef Dave Myers to Made in Chelsea star Jamie Laing since her 2010 debut. With Laing, she finished in second place.
There’s also a big question surrounding who will replace Daly and Winkleman as hosts after the pair bowed out in December 2025. Frontrunner contenders include The One Show’s Alex Jones and Zoe Ball, who previously hosted companion series Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two.
