THE new generation of Strictly pros have eclipsed most of the show veterans this series – and sped up bombshell plans for a purge of the older dancers.
Bosses want to bring in a new wave of stars from next series to make a fresh start after one of the most disastrous years in the contest’s history.
In the wake of the Giovanni Pernice scandal, the Beeb wants to lose up to five of its most established dancers, including Nadiya Bychkova, Neil Jones, Karen Hauer, Gorka Marquez and Katya Jones.
Most of them were quickly voted off this series along with their celeb partners.
Only Katya survived, but she angered bosses by being at the centre of the “gropegate” backfiring gag with singer Wynne Jones.
Meanwhile, Jowita Przystal has dazzled with her partner Pete Wicks, and Vito Coppola has been wowing audiences with actress Sarah Hadland.
A TV insider said: “The review of the line-up has always been about making a fresh start, and that was always going to be affected by which dancers performed well this series.
“The feeling is that the Strictly troupe is made up of some fading stars, while others are rising stars.
“And in many cases there are certain characters whose shoes can easily be filled with younger, up-and-coming counterparts.
“It’s harsh but it’s just part of the traditional turnover of showbusiness.
“Of the five names in the mix almost all of them went out in the first half of the series, which is very much seen as a landmark point for Strictly.
“It couldn’t have come at a worse time for them, because Strictly bosses feel they need to make some major changes, even if that means big names leaving.”
Strictly's full scandal so far
Strictly Come Dancing's scandal engulfed the show over the past few months, with several major players speaking out about what went on before the BBC came back with their findings. Here are the key moments of what's happened so far
