Aliona and the Jordans now also confirmed.

Apparently Aliona knew for 2 months?!

Aliona gave heavy hints that she would be back months ago.

Katya is no loss as far as Im concerned. I always found her to be quite arrogant.

I would much rather Anton and Erin left. They look so much older than the rest of the pros, especially Anton. Is he only there for laughs now???

And James has just tweeted saying the rest of them knew back in February. Wonder if the close call was between Aliona and Katya then?

I thought he was joking with that comment about knowing back in February because Aliona seemed to be making it clear that she knew 2 months ago and he was winding her up that they all knew before her. .... I took it to be banter.

I rather think it is banter too

I did think it was a joke, just thought I'd post it in case it were actually true you never know.

Though it is obviously true, that Newsbeat article on the BBC was appallingly written. You can't replace a female pro with a male pro unless they are having unequal numbers of celebrities or a same sex partnership.
I am not particularly surprised that Katya is going actually. Afterall she is getting married around now isn't she? She might want some time with her new husband. Obviously the article says she was axed but maybe it was a mixture of her deciding to go and the new producers thinking she was the one to go.
I thought she got on well dancing with Pasha, so that is sad, but I'm not devastated that she is going. She wasn't a favourite and I didn't particularly dislike her either.

I agree

Just to show that it doesnt matter how good of a dancer you are but in an entertainment show like this one you have to leave an impression whether its good or bad, just leave an impression to the audience .

-The Jordans may be a polarising couple among the strictly fans but at least they stand out from the rest of the pros.
-Same thing with Brenda aka Bad boy of Ballroom although James is slowly talking that role now
-Ourleona the non-conformist
-Anton and the Duffers/the comedian
-Erin Miss Whiplash
-Artem the hard taskmaker....

Bottom line they all have a role and are replaceable. Once again you have to stand out!!!
Each one of them as an appeal !

I can see from a dense BBC exec point of view why they've done this. From the Strictly novice perspective, Katya isn't very high profile, not particularly tall or short, not known for a specific thing. (Ola - sexy, Erin - class ballroom, Aliona - hair, Natalie - tall, Flavia - A Tango) She's not been pigeon holed.

This said, I totally do not agree with the decision, I thought she was understated, talented and a great choreographer who did well with difficult celebs and this was never acknowledged in the the editing of any of Strictly. She had a likeable personality too. The problem was she faded into the background a little simply because she was sensible and had good ideas but wasn't prepared to wear next to nothing to get attention. (Not a did at Ola, I like her.)

If they had to boot out somebody, why wasn't it Aliona? Her choreography does not fit with that of ballroom world (I think the likes of Anton and Erin find her a bit of a joke) and she has nothing very interesting to say at all. Similarly, Robin bores me solid too and I have found him rather unpersonable on the several occasions when I have met him.

x x x x x

I agree. She does not fill column inches in newspapers unlike some of the other pros. Perhaps she should have called off her wedding to Klaus and ran off with Gav. Bet she would not have been axed then

I saw Katya and Pasha on their tour earlier this year and Katya gave every impression that she really wanted to be back for the new series. They both seemed really down to earth and no hint of 'celeb' about them. I hope it was Katya's choice to leave but I would bet that it wasn't

I think she gets married at the beginning of July so at least she has got that to focus on and I wish her all the best for the future

Can see why you think like you do, and I agree with you about that - I dearly loved the old SCD up to series 6 - for me this new way is not good because there is too little proper dancing and more dance mixes and show dance-type dances, and in general, less quality of dancing.

But the facts are, quite simply, that it IS working because this way i.e. more of a slant towards entertainment rather than pure dancing - is what the majority of viewers currently seem to like - so unfortunately for people like me, it's hard to say it isn't working, because it IS!

Hi Vikki - how are you x

I completely agree with your first and last paragraphs! (although I do like Robin very much as a person - but I don't rate him as a dancer - he's more second level for me)

I agree TQ. Its depressing but true The masses seem to prefer the mindless VTs and comedy routines we've seen of late to the pure class of previous years.

So they get rid of classy Katya who has done some beautiful routines with very little talent to work with and keep the likes of Aliona and Ola who have shown enough flesh to cover up lack of content or teaching ability.

I hope they have some celebs i like this year because theres very little about many of the pros or presenters or sadly the show itself which appeals to me anymore

I never really liked Katya either, I found her quite cold and conceited towards her partners. Maybe not so much with Phil, but yes with Gavin and definately with Dan.

I didn't get that impression to be honest. After his run in with Craig last year, if James (and Ola) had been dropped, nobody would have been surprised and I think that's more likely why James is mentioned in the article, rather than him actually being in the firing line.



Hello my SCD twin!


I don't want to turn this into anti-Aliona post because I do like her, but I don't think her approach, traditional or contemprary IS the problem. The problem is she doesn't stick to the rules. She'd be in just as much trouble with her choreography, if not more on DWTS.


I heard that too during the last series.


There was plenty of talk about her when she partnered Gavin, mainly because people either 'got' him or didn't. I didn't get him straight away, but by the end of that series they were one of my all time favourite couples.


I read Katya has also known for 2 months. My guess is that the two new executive producers who were announced at the the beginning of May have been talking to the pros since then.

PS ***waves*** to TQ!

Katya and Gavbot was one of the best ever pairings for me. She really brought him out of his shell and made him into a dancer.

I would have liked to have seen what she could have done with someone who had real potential. Shame.

Katya... The most attractive of all the female dancers

Not too bothered about Katya going. (although I did actually meet her after a show recently, spoke to her, friendly and personable she was too). More disappointed about Lilia going a few years ago.

Katya was a good dancer but didn't stand out, might have been better if Erin went, purely because she's been in so long, to let someone else have go.

I always found Katya to a be a bit of a cold fish on strictly - she didn't seem to be able to play along with the banter which is now part of the job requirement for better or worse. I remember seeing her exit interview with Dan on ITT and Dan moved over to give her a peck on the cheek at the end and she moved away from him in a way that seemed like a snub. She didn't even make a joke of it from what was shown (maybe she did but it was edited out).

Anyway, I saw her interviewed on local TV for the tour she did with Pasha and she came across as open, fun and thoughtful. I really liked her and went to see the show which I also loved. If only she had show more of that side of herself on SCD, I suspect that her services would have been retained.

Best of luck for the future, Katya.

yep, she has known for 2 months, she confirmed to me she was back on the 29th April

I think Dan wasn't the easiest of people to get along with - well that's the impression I got from the training videos....... perhaps that's the reason why she became very reserved last year and 'snubbed' him on ITT.....she got along fine with Gavin and Phil and goodness knows those two must have tried her patience........ she was outgoing and vivacious with them and always seemed up for a laugh.

No way, Katya gone!

That's nice for Strictly to not even wait for her to have a half decent partner. Poor girl, oh well, not like she's the only suprising Pro to be axed in recent years.