Strictly leaves fan-favourite pro without a celebrity partner in fresh blow to BBC show
Following a string of scandals, Strictly Come Dancing has landed itself in more hot water ahead of its premiere next month.
Strictly star's heartbreaking confession on Saturday Kitchen
Strictly Come Dancing has sparked fan fury over reports that professional dancer Kai Widdrington has been benched ahead of the show’s return next month
The choreographer who was paired with broadcaster Angela Rippon last year is said to have been left without a celebrity partner.
This year, the Strictly line-up has the fewest female contestants in the BBC show history with just six women against nine men.
This was another devastating blow for Kai after his relationship with pro dancer Nadiya Bychkova came to an end in June.
According to a source: “Kai has become the first casualty of this year’s male-heavy line-up.
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“With so few female celebrities it was inevitable that some of the professionals would miss out on a pairing, but it’s a real blow that Kai is one of them.
“He had a great run last series with Angela and is a fan favourite,” the source added to The Sun.
The insider continued: “But, just like last year with Nadiya when she wasn’t given a partner, bosses have to look at a number of factors when choosing which dancer to pair with which celebrity.
“They look at everything from height through to chemistry tests to see who will work best together and it’s meant Kai has missed out.
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“He will be part of the group dances alongside other males who haven’t been selected this year,” they concluded.
This comes as a huge change as in the previous Strictly years, there has been roughly a 50/50 split between the sexes.
There has been fresh pressure on the BBC to make successful pairings after former pro Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima were axed following a probe into workplace misconduct allegations.
Graziano was sacked after he admitted kicking 2023 star Zara McDermott during rehearsals.
While his co-star Giovanni Pernice is being investigated following complaints from his Sherlock actress partner Amanda Abbington.
