Strictly Come Dancing bosses have again thanked Brendan Cole for his contribution to the show, as they announced three new professional dancers for the new series.
It was confirmed in February that Brendan had been axed from the BBC One dance show despite being part of the cast since series one.
Three new dancers have now been confirmed for the show: two male and one female.
A statement to introduce the new Strictly line-up said: “As announced earlier in the year, series one winner and 2017 Christmas champ Brendan Cole, will not be returning.
“A huge thank you goes to Brendan from all at Strictly for 15 amazing series.
“We wish him all the very best with his future projects.”
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Strictly has now confirmed three new faces will join the pro dancer line-up for 2018, making it the biggest pro dancer cast in the show’s history.
There will be 18 pro dancers on the rota next series.
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The three newcomers are Italian Latin Champion Graziano Di Prima, professional South African Latin Champion Johannes Radebe and four-time winner of the Italian Dance Championship, Russian-born Luba Mushtuk.
Graziano, 24, has said joining Strictly is a “dream come true” for him: “I still can’t believe I will be one of the professional dancers on Strictly Come Dancing.
“I can’t wait to give all of myself on the dance floor!”
Johannes, 31, has previous experience with Strictly, having worked on the South African version of the show for two years, reaching the final both times!
He said: “Joining Strictly Come Dancing is one of the greatest achievements of my dancing career. It is such an honour to be chosen to be a part of an incredible cast and be part of one of the biggest shows that is celebrated worldwide.
“I cannot wait to get started and experience the magic with the UK!”
Luba, 28, has been a member of the Strictly family since 2016, working as an assistant choreographer and contributing to the group dances, as well as taking part on the Strictly Live Tour. She’s also toured with Giovanni Pernice, and Karen and Kevin Clifton.
She said: “Words cannot express how thrilled I am to do what I love most on the greatest show on earth! I am super excited and so thankful for this priceless opportunity.
“I can’t wait to get started as a professional dancer on Strictly… bring on the sparkle!”
Strictly has also confirmed the pro dancers who will return for 2018 include Anton Du Beke, Gorka Marquez, Karen and Kevin Clifton, and Aljaž Škorjanec.
Also returning are AJ Pritchard, Giovanni Pernice, Janette Manrara, Pasha Kovalev, Oti Mabuse and Katya Jones.
Amy Dowden, Dianne Buswell , Nadiya Bychkova and Neil Jones will also return.
We can’t wait!
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