Strictly stars ranked from safe to at risk as ‘brutal’ way BBC decides who stays and who goes ‘revealed’

BBC bosses are reportedly using TikTok follower counts to help determine which professional dancers stay on Strictly.

In recent weeks, the programme has been surrounded by intense speculation. Early reports claimed that Gorka Márquez, Luba Mushtuk and Michelle Tsiakkas were set to be dropped. Just a day later, further rumours suggested Neil Jones and Nancy Xu had been sidelined.

Elsewhere, it was reported that Nadiya Bychkova, Katya Jones and Karen Hauer could also be at risk. While uncertainty still surrounds many of the dancers, Karen has since confirmed she has chosen to leave.

Amid the ongoing rumours, claims also emerged that Janette Manrara and Fleur East had been removed from spin-off show It Takes Two. However, the BBC shut this down, stating it was “factually incorrect” to suggest they had been “axed.”

Over the past month, Strictly has remained in the headlines for it’s rumoured shake-ups (Credit: BBC)

‘Brutal’ way BBC decides who stays and who goes on Strictly ‘revealed’

According to The Sun, the video-sharing platform TikTok has played a key role in reviving the US version of the show, Dancing with the Stars, and bosses are hoping to replicate that success with the upcoming UK series.

As a result, that could mean swapping out some of the older professionals, who lack large online followings — such as Karen Hauer, 44 — in favour of younger, TikTok-savvy dancers like 25-year-old Alexis Warr.

“Strictly is always looking for ways to increase its audience in terms of volume, but also in terms of attracting new, young viewers,” an insider told the newspaper.

“Social media is a massive part of broadening that appeal, and TikTok is the perfect medium for a show where music and dance is at the forefront.

“They won’t simply lose someone from the line-up because they aren’t big on TikTok, but it might just be the thing that saves them from exiting the line-up.”

Meanwhile, ED! contacted the BBC for comment, who said they will not be commenting.

Meanwhile, Dianne has the most followers on TikTok (Credit: ITV)

How many followers do the pro dancers have on TikTok?

Using last year’s roster as a reference, here’s a ranking of the professional dancers from those with the most followers to those with the fewest.

Dianne Buswell, 36 – 966,100 Neil Jones, 43 – 296,200 Alexis Warr, 25 – 190,600 Nikita Kuzmin, 28 – 125,400 Jowita Przystal, 31 – 112,400 Vito Coppola, 33, 98,500 Kai Widdrington, 30 – 87,900 Lauren Oakley, 35 – 79,300 Johannes Radebe, 38 – 54,700 Julian Caillon, 30 – 52,300 Gorka Marquez, 35 – 47,000 Amy Dowden, 35 – 34,800 Nadiya Bychkova, 36 – 19,600 Michelle Tsiakkas, 30 – 13,000 Nancy Xu, 34 – 10,100 Karen Hauer, 43 – 9,100 Carlos Gu, 33 – 4,500

Aljaz Skorjanec, 36, and Luba Mushtuk, 36, do not have TikTok accounts.

As also reported by The Sun, there were “more than a billion views of Strictly clips on social media platforms”, which was “up 40 per cent on 2024”.

They noted that “bosses know the future of Strictly depends on bringing in a new younger audience and directing as many people as possible to iPlayer, and last year the show had record levels of views on the catch-up service”.

The source said TikTok is “perfect” for “creating a buzz around a show that goes beyond mere statistics and social media”.

Read more: Strictly fans concerned as they predict Anton Du Beke next in firing line to be ‘axed’

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