Strictly Come Dancing bosses fear judges could quit show: ‘Anything could happen’

Bosses of Strictly Come Dancing are reportedly bracing themselves for the possibility that it could lose its judging panel.

In a time of great upheaval for the BBC show, it recently returned for a new series with an all-new hosting trio – swapping out Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly for Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe.

It also lost a number of professionals, with Karen Hauer 14 years (the longest-serving female pro at 14 years), Gorka Marquez, Nadiya Bychkova,
Luba Mushtuk and Michelle Tsiakkas all departing in a major refresh of the line-up.

One constant has been the judges, in Craig Revel Horwood, 61, Motsi Mabuse, 45, Shirley Ballas, 66, and Anton Du Beke, 60.

But what should happen should the show lose one – or all – of its judges?

With the judges’ contracts up for renewal, bosses are said to be fearing the worst.

A source told Daily Mail: ‘The one thing that the BBC knew would keep some continuity this year was that the judges would all be back.

‘They are under contract so that was a guarantee for the bosses and was definitely one less headache for them.’

However, the expiration of the judges’ contracts has producers fearing that ‘anything could happen,’ and that anyone who wanted to walk away would be ‘free agents.’

‘The most likely is Shirley. She has done a decade now and she has grandchildren that she wants to see more of,’ the insider continued.

‘The terms of their contracts will have to be renegotiated, and if the judges don’t like what the BBC is offering maybe they won’t return.

‘It will all be very up in the air in December once this run is over.’

Of the judging panel, Craig Revel Horwood is the longest-serving – joining the show upon its debut in 2004.

Shirley Ballas joined in 2017, replacing departing judge Len Goodman.

It’s due to her family commitments that she’s rumoured to be considering an exit – following speculation that she wants to spend more time with her son and his two children.

Mark Ballas, 40, currently serves as a professional dancer on Strictly’s American counterpart, Dancing With the Stars.

She’s also been ‘growing close’ to Italian dancer Giuseppe Nonnis, 36, which has sparked backlash in certain corners of the dance community.

She served as judge at an international dance competition where Giuseppe was competing – and raised eyebrows with her scoring of the younger man.

However, it was later determined that no rules had been broken, and Giuseppe and partner Lela ultimately finished in ninth place.

The pair’s close friendship has also sparked rumours of romance, with Giuseppe’s ex-fiancée, Daria Chesnokova, describing it as the ‘ultimate betrayal’.

The couple had been engaged since 2021 until they split last year.

‘I don’t want her to take my man,’ said Dasha, who had been engaged to Giuseppe since 2021.

‘Shirley was my mentor for nearly two decades. I have looked up to her for years,’ she told The Sun. ‘And I introduced her to Giuseppe. If they were together, I would be so hurt.’

She went on to describe Shirley as ‘like a dance mum to me’, and likened their potential relationship as ‘like your mum taking your boyfriend.’

Shirley has been single since her split from fiancé Danny Taylor in 2024.

Neither Shirley nor the other judges have indicated that they plan to leave the show anytime soon.

However, Craig did hint at his future on an episode of his podcast Judgemental, where he said: ‘I’ve got to be honest I’ve judging my life in showbusiness and whether I should carry on or not. It’s a serious thought.

‘Now I’ve been asking myself do I want to remain in showbusiness or would I like to retire and go somewhere quiet out of the public eye? I’ve just been contemplating so I’ve been questioning it.’

Craig had previously indicated he’d be giving up showbiz once he turned 50 – although he’s now aiming for a hard limit of 70.

‘My thoughts were I would retire at 50, so now I’ve changed the goal post to 70. I tend to work 10 years in advance. I don’t think I’ll ever leave it but I used to love the times before I was known to the public,’ he said.

‘I have been seriously contemplating when the best time is to do it because it will be an inevitability.’

Metro has contacted the BBC for comment on this story.

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