Karen Hauer and fellow pros face sweeping exit from Strictly line-up
karen hauer, who joined Strictly Come Dancing as a professional in 2012, is said to have been told last week that her contract will not be renewed, a development that comes as several long-standing pros are reported to be leaving ahead of the next series. The change has been described as a broad overhaul of the professional line-up.
Karen Hauer: longest-serving female pro told her time on Strictly is over
karen hauer was identified in reports as the longest-serving female professional on Strictly Come Dancing after first appearing on the show in 2012. Multiple reports state she was informed recently that her contract would not be renewed and that she was “very upset” by the news while exploring more work in the fitness industry and choreography.
Her recent celebrity partners included Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and, in previous years, Paul Merson and Eddie Kadi, and she reached the final with Mark Wright in 2014, details that mark a long run on the programme for Karen Hauer.
Other professionals named in the reported overhaul: Nadiya Bychkova, Gorka Márquez, Luba Mushtuk and Michelle Tsiakkas
Reports list Nadiya Bychkova, Gorka Márquez, Luba Mushtuk and Michelle Tsiakkas among the professionals not expected to return. Nadiya, who joined the show in 2017, was described in reports as distraught at being told she would not be invited back as a full-time pro, while Gorka, on the show since 2016, has had other commitments that included judging in Spain.
Luba, who joined in 2018, and Michelle, who only joined in 2022 and has had limited celebrity partners, were also named in the reported cuts as part of the wider reshuffle of the pro roster ahead of the next series.
Spokesperson comment and the production picture for Strictly Come Dancing 2026
, “Plans for Strictly Come Dancing 2026 will be confirmed in due course. ” That statement appears alongside the reported departures of hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman at the end of the most recent season, a fact cited in coverage about the scale of the changes to the show.
Reports suggest the moves amount to an effort to bring new faces into the professional line-up, with some names said to have been given the green light to stay while others have been told their contracts will not be extended. The production decision, as described in reporting, has prompted reactions from the professionals involved and a wider conversation about the show’s future choreography team.
For Karen Hauer the next confirmed milestone in public reporting is that she has been notified her contract will not be renewed and that she is expected to focus more on choreography and fitness work. The coming confirmation of Strictly Come Dancing 2026 plans will determine the precise scale of the new professional roster and the role former pros will play outside the main show.
Back where this article began: the specific name at the centre, Karen Hauer, now faces a change in day-to-day work after more than a decade on the Strictly floor, and the next confirmed development is that plans for the 2026 series will be announced in due course, setting the timetable for when the new line-up will be revealed.
