FORMER Strictly judge Bruno Tonioli has backed the BBC show’s savage “bloodbath” of pro dancer exits, insisting the shake-up is part of keeping it fresh.
Bruno, 70, defended the decision after a string of professional dancers were axed despite spending years on the BBC ballroom competition.
Speaking about the annual cast overhaul, Bruno insisted changes are necessary to keep the long-running show evolving and give new talent a chance to shine.
He told the Daily Mail, he said: “Dancing is like sport, there’s a point when you know to have the best team you have to get the best players. It’s nothing personal.
“I’ve been a dancer, I know what it’s like. There’s a point when you say I cannot do it. Your body can’t perform at the same level. There is nothing nasty about it.
“Things need to be kept up to date and you have to have new blood, new people, opportunities.
“There’s a whole new generation that needs exposure, and that’s one of the great things that this show does.
“It’s showbusiness, if it was easy, everyone would do it.”
His comments come after several fan-favourite pros were dropped from the line-up, sparking backlash from viewers who branded the clear-out a “bloodbath”.
Karen Hauer, 43, Gorka Marquez, 35, Nadiya Bychkova, 36, Michelle Tsiakkas, 30, and Luba Mushtuk, 36, were all given the boot.
BBC bosses have chosen to keep professionals with large online followings in a desperate bid to draw in younger viewers.
The remaining professional line-up includes fan favourites Dianne Buswell, 37, Nancy Xu, 34, Vito Coppola, 33, Julian Caillon, 30, Carlos Gu, 33, Lauren Oakley, 35, Amy Dowden, 35, Katya Jones, 36, Neil Jones, 44, Nikita Kuzmin, 28, Jowita Przystał, 31, Aljaž Škorjanec, 36, Alexis Warr, 25, and Kai Widdrington, 30.
However, these won’t be the only pros on the programme with the BBC also revealing that a string of new pros will also be joining the programme.
The Sun revealed that show bosses were hoping to snap up a hunky American dancer for the programme.
D’angelo Castro, 25, is understood to have caught bosses eyes and had a meeting with the execs earlier this year on a trip to the UK.
He has been on the show’s US counterpart Dancing With The Stars, and has a huge social media following.
All four of the programme’s judges have been confirmed to return as well as fan-favourite theme weeks on the dancing show.
The BBC confirmed Emma Willis, 50, Josh Widdicombe, 43, and Johannes Radebe, 39, are taking over presenting duties in Strictly.
This comes after Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman stepped down in October.
