It doesn’t seem long since the 2018 series of Strictly Come Dancing drew to a close, but BBC bosses have already confirmed which professional dancers will be competing on the next series later this year. The full list of pros returning to the ballroom was released on Monday – and it includes many fan favourites!
Kevin Clifton will be making his return to the show following his win with Stacey Dooley in 2018, as will Dianne Buswell and Giovanni Pernice, who each reached the final with Joe Sugg and Faye Tozer respectively.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe Strictly Come Dancing professional dancers have been named for 2019
Despite speculation that they may not be back for 2019, both Neil and Katya Jones have been confirmed in the new line-up, along with Aljaz Skorjanec and his wife Janette Manrara, both of whom are popular with the show’s fans.
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So too will AJ Pritchard, Anton Du Beke and Gorka Marquez, as well as Oti Mabuse, who has most recently been on our screens as a coach on The Greatest Dancer. Amy Dowden and long-serving dancer Karen Clifton will also make their Strictly return, alongside some of the newer faces including Graziano Di Prima, Johannes Radebe, Luba Mushtuk and Nadiya Bychkova. There is just one person who is missing from the 2018 dancers; Pasha Kovalev, who announced his decision to leave the show in February.
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Speaking of the new line-up, Sarah James, Executive Producer, BBC Studios, said: "We are delighted that this year’s line-up of professional dancers for Strictly Come Dancing is full of familiar faces and fan favourites. This amazing cast of incredibly talented world class professional dancers have provided Strictly with some of its most memorable moments over the years and with more exciting announcements to come, plus world renowned choreographer Jason Gilkison also returning to the team, Strictly 2019 promises to continue to wow viewers with unforgettable performances as we welcome this dazzling line up of pros back to the ballroom."
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