Former Strictly Come Dancing star Kristina Rihanoff has called for the BBC show to be “rested” for a year amid the ongoing changes to its cast of professional dancers.
The competition has undergone one of its biggest behind-the-scenes shake-ups to date, with five professionals reportedly being axed from the show. It’s believed that Luba Mushtuk, Michelle Tsiakkas, Gorka Márquez and Nadiya Bychkova have been told that their contracts are not being renewed for 2026, alongside Karen Hauer – the show’s longest-running professional.
Strictly will also be getting two new hosts this year following the shock departure of presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman in October.
In light of the reported cast cull and the arrival of two new presenters, who are yet to be announced, professional dancer Rihanoff said that the show should take a break before being revamped for its return.
“If I were a producer, I would give it a rest for a year, regroup and think about what we can do differently,” she told The Independent.
“There’s something to say about going back to basics and back to its roots – the roots of the show were pure ballroom and Latin dancing without the razzmatazz of 101 props and 3D projections.
“When I came onto the show, it was about ballroom and Latin dancing. It was minimum props, all the group dances were live. The professionals were choreographing it and the celebrities had to learn proper ballroom and Latin dancing. It would not do any harm to go back to the good old fashioned [ways].”
Rihanoff joined the cast of Strictly Come Dancing in 2008 before leaving eight years later. During her time on the show, she was infamously partnered with broadcaster John Sergeant, who made it to the 10th week of the competition despite consistently low scores and dropped out after fearing that he would actually win.
The Russian pro also danced with DJ Goldie, boxer Joe Calzaghe, singer Jason Donovan, EastEnders’ Colin Salmon, rugby player Ben Cohen, TV presenter Daniel O’Donnell and Blue’s Simon Webbe – who was a runner-up in 2014.
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While Rihanoff left the following year as she “didn’t want to be there anymore”, she revealed that professionals on the show are only ever contracted for a year. It meant that waiting to hear whether your contract was renewed every 12 months was a “horrendous” experience.
“There’s always been that jeopardy of the dancers not being called back so it’s not a new thing,” she said.
“I moved myself to the UK, not knowing a single person and it was a big leap of faith that it’s all gonna work out. It’s not just me, pretty much all of the dancers are not from the UK. Then to think, ‘Everything is going to change again, what do I do next?’ It’s very hard. We put heart and soul into this.”
She added that while Strictly is a “fantastic job” to have, the job uncertainty can take its toll on the professionals.
“You never know who is in jeopardy or if they’re going to renew your contract. It’s not a very nice feeling and obviously, on a lot of dancers, it has a big mental health effect.”
Venezuelan-American professional Hauer is the latest star to reportedly be leaving Strictly after 13 years, with a source telling The Daily Mail that it’s “a case of out with the old and in with the new”. A BBC representative said that plans for Strictly Come Dancing 2026 would be confirmed in due course.
Rihanoff said: “Letting go of someone like Karen would be a really stupid thing for them to do. She has been on the show many years, she’s the longest running pro and she’s a fantastic dancer and choreographer.
“She’s quite old school in the sense that when she joined the show, she had already been a professional dancer and established pro in our dance world. Some of the pros on Strictly are not all professional dancers and don’t even compete. They just do dance shows like Burn the Floor. They compete in youth but they don’t have professional status in our world.”
Rihanoff added that those with professional dance experience often have taken exams and have learnt to teach – a skill that should be essential when a professional on Strictly.
“The predominant thing of the show is to see the journey of the celebrities developing and I think you can really only develop someone if you have learnt to teach and know how to deliver information to a complete beginner,” she said.
“If I were a producer, I would look into hiring pros who are professionals in their own backgrounds and those who have an extensive teaching background.”
The Independent has approached the BBC for comment.
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After leaving Strictly Come Dancing, Rihanoff set up an award at the Northants Open Championships in honour of her co-star and professional dancer Robin Windsor, who died in 2024 by suicide.
“It’s always going to be a difficult subject to talk about,” she said. “I kept thinking, ‘How an I keep that legacy going and do something for the fact that he was so passionate about spreading the love for dancing among youngsters?’
“When I was running the competition again, I thought, “I would really love to start this award.’”
The Robin Windsor Contribution to Dance Award recognises those in the dance industry who help to shape the future of dance, with the British DanceSport Assocation’s Operations Director, Peter Nash, becoming its first recipient earlier in March.
“My goal is to set up a scholarship fund for talented kids who can’t compete because there is a lack of finances. It’s something I know Robin would be on board with because we often talked about how we spent our childhoods dreaming of becoming world champions. We loved our sport for what it is, not the fame or the money.”
