{"id":5733,"date":"2026-06-16T14:42:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T13:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thehotedit.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/16\/former-strictly-star-argues-shake-up-was-needed-to-rid-dead-wood\/"},"modified":"2026-06-16T14:42:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T13:42:00","slug":"former-strictly-star-argues-shake-up-was-needed-to-rid-dead-wood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thehotedit.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/16\/former-strictly-star-argues-shake-up-was-needed-to-rid-dead-wood\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Strictly star argues shake-up was “needed” to rid “dead wood”"},"content":{"rendered":"


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James Jordan has said the recent culling of several professional dancers from Strictly Come Dancing<\/a> was “needed” to get rid of “dead wood”.<\/p>\n

The BBC series has undergone a significant shake-up ahead of the 2026 season<\/a>, with new hosts<\/a> and the departures of Karen Hauer, Gorka Marquez, Nadiya Bychkova, Luba Mushtuk and Michelle Tsiakkas from the professional dancers line-up.<\/p>\n

Speaking to the Press Association<\/a>, Jordan \u2013 who appeared on the series as a professional dancer between 2006 and 2013 \u2013 said of the shake-up: “When you join Strictly, you\u2019re taking someone\u2019s job, OK? And people forget that because they\u2019re on the show, but then when they\u2019re asked to leave, and then they\u2019re replaced, they\u2019re only worried about that.”<\/p>\n

He continued: “But they forget at some point, they took someone\u2019s job. It\u2019s just showbiz, that\u2019s what it is. Enjoy it for what it is \u2013 it is a juggernaut of a show, and it was an honour for all of us to be part of it for so many years. <\/p>\n

“But you have to remember that it will come to an end at some point, and all this controversy around, ‘oh, they\u2019re changing so many of the pros’\u2026 it needed a shakeup. Some of the pros have been on there for 14 years\u2026 dead wood\u2026 get rid of them and bring someone younger in, in my opinion.”<\/p>\n

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James Jordan.\u00a0Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

However, former Strictly professional dancer Ian Waite believes the show “got rid of the wrong ones”.<\/p>\n

He told the publication: “All the professional dancers are amazing in their own right, but you can\u2019t stay on there forever. At some point, you have to give the younger ones a chance, because there\u2019s so many amazing dancers out there.”<\/p>\n

Jordan added that he believed the shake-up could have extended to the judging panel.<\/p>\n

“I believed the cuts could have gone further and they could have got rid of some of the judges as well,” he said.<\/p>\n

Speaking about the show’s tone, he continued: “It\u2019s all got nicey-nicey now, isn\u2019t it? It\u2019s all politically correct, and \u2018you can\u2019t say this, and you can\u2019t say that\u2019. You can\u2019t be negative because they\u2019re (the contestants) are gonna cry. It\u2019s a dance show. You need that baddie\u2026 but even Craig (Revel Horwood) now is kind of toned down a lot.”<\/p>\n

He added: “It\u2019s all like everyone loves everyone, and we\u2019re all one big happy family. That\u2019s not life, that\u2019s not real life. I want to see how hard they\u2019re working in the training room. I want to see the tears. I think that\u2019s the magic that needs to come back.”<\/p>\n

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