Bruno Tonioli Supports BBC Decision to Drop Five Strictly Come Dancing Professionals

Bruno Tonioli said the BBC's removal of five professional dancers from Strictly Come Dancing is necessary to keep the program competitive. The 70-year-old former judge compared the situation to sports, stating that teams must bring in the best players.

"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," he told the Daily Mail. Tonioli added that physical limitations eventually affect dancers' performance. "I've been a dancer, I know what it's like.

Your body can't perform at the same level," he said. He described the changes as routine rather than personal.

The five professionals let go are Karen Hauer, 43, Gorka Marquez, 35, Nadiya Bychkova, 36, Michelle Tsiakkas, 30, and Luba Mushtuk, 36. Each had appeared on the BBC ballroom competition for multiple seasons. Tonioli said the departures create space for emerging performers. "Things need to be kept up to date, and you have to have new blood, new people, opportunities," he stated.

The BBC has kept ten professionals for the next series, including Dianne Buswell, Nancy Xu, Vito Coppola, Amy Dowden, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Jowita Przystał, Aljaž Škorjanec, and Kai Widdrington. American dancer D'angelo Castro, 25, is reported to be in discussions to join the show.

Tonioli said the program benefits from introducing younger performers to new audiences. "There's a whole new generation that needs exposure, and that's one of the great things that this show does," he said.