A former Strictly Come Dancing professional didn't mince his words when addressing the show's recent changes, which saw five pros exiting ahead of the new season. James Jordan, who was a pro dancer on the show between 2006 and 2013, said the departures were "needed".
Premiering in September, the new season of Strictly won't include pros Michelle Tsiakkas, Luba Mushtuk, Nadiya Bychkova, Gorka Márquez and Karen Hauer, who all announced their exits earlier this year. As the show prepares to introduce new dancers in their place, Jordan weighed in on the overhaul and shared his theory, adding that the show needed to get rid of "dead wood".
"When you join Strictly, you're taking someone's job, OK? And people forget that because they're on the show, but then when they're asked to leave, and then they're replaced, they're only worried about that," he told the Press Association.
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"But they forget at some point, they took someone's job. It's just showbiz, that's what it is. Enjoy it for what it is – 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," he continued.
"But you have to remember that it will come to an end at some point, and all this controversy around, 'Oh, they’re changing so many of the pros'… it needed a shakeup.
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"Some of the pros have been on there for 14 years… dead wood… get rid of them and bring someone younger in, in my opinion."
Jordan then added that Strictly could have gone "further" and replaced some of the judges as well.
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"I believed the cuts could have gone further and they could have got rid of some of the judges as well," he said.
"It's all got nicey-nicey now, isn't it? It's all politically correct and, 'You can't say this, and you can't say that'. You can't be negative because [the contestants] are gonna cry. It's a dance show. You need that baddie… but even Craig [Revel Horwood] now is kind of toned down a lot."
As Strictly has started revealing this season's stacked celebrity lineup, professionals Dianne Buswell, Amy Dowden, Katya Jones, Neil Jones and Nikita Kuzmin are all set to return to the d
ance floor alongside Aljaž Škorjanec, Jowita Przystał, Nancy Xu and Kai Widdrington.
Strictly Come Dancing will return to the BBC later this year.
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Reporter, Digital Spy
Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy.
Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).
