Dancing show celebrity seems to confirm they were fired in the midst of a mass cast removal.

A popular dancer from Strictly Come Dancing, Michelle Tsiakkas, has recently spoken out about her departure from the show. After being a part of the program for four years, Michelle has seemingly confirmed that she will not be returning for the upcoming season. Along with Dianne Buswell, Graziano Di Prima, Johannes Radebe, and Jowita Przystal, Michelle joined the long-running BBC series back in 2022.

However, earlier this month, it was announced that several dancers were being let go, including Michelle, Nadiya Bychkova, Gorka Marquez, and Luba Mushtuk. This news came shortly after the longest-serving female dancer on the show, Karen Hauer, announced her exit, stating that it was the right time for her to close this chapter in her life. While the other dancers have not publicly commented on their departure, Michelle has now opened up about her fate.

Recently, Michelle was caught on camera leaving a class that she had taught at former Strictly pro Oti Mabuse's dance studio in London. When greeted by photographers, one of them hugged Michelle and expressed their disappointment for her departure, saying that it was shocking and heartbreaking. In response, Michelle calmly acknowledged the situation, saying, "It is what it is." She then thanked the photographer for their support.

After learning that her contract on the show would not be renewed, Michelle made the decision to quit the professionals' live tour. In an official statement, the Strictly live tour Instagram page announced that Michelle had decided not to take part in the tour, and they respected her decision. They also confirmed the remaining lineup for the tour, which includes Julian, Vito, Neil, Gorka, Lauren, Jowita, Luba, Alexis, Kai, and Nancy.

It was recently rumored that Michelle's departure from the show was due to her disappointment with the recent changes. According to a friend of Michelle's, she feels like she had made a lot of personal sacrifices for the show and was in it for the long haul. However, she feels like she was promised one thing but was given something entirely different.

Since joining Strictly in 2022, Michelle has only been given one celebrity partner, Jamie Borthwick from EastEnders, in 2024. They were eliminated in week 10. She also danced with Westlife's Brian McFadden on last year's Christmas special.

But after not receiving a partner during the last season, she expressed her disappointment on Instagram, saying that the process of working with a celebrity partner was the most beautiful and rewarding part of the show. Aside from the rumored axed professionals, Neil Jones and Nancy Xu are also believed to be without a celebrity partner this year. Before being directly asked about her departure from the show, Michelle had not spoken about her future on Strictly.

However, on International Women's Day, she posted a childhood photo with a poignant caption, reflecting on her journey and the strength she has gained along the way. Sources have revealed that there are major changes happening within the show, with dancers discussing their contracts over the next few weeks. It seems that the show's producers are looking for a fresh start and want to bring in new faces after the drama of the past few years.

The cuts have been described as brutal, with dancers learning their fate in 15-minute phone calls. Some have even said that Nadiya was distraught upon hearing the news. It has also been rumored that returning pros include Aljaž Škorjanec, Carlos Gu, and Johannes Radebe.

Although the BBC has not yet officially announced the lineup for Strictly Come Dancing 2026, it is expected to be revealed in April. If you have any tips or stories about the show, you can contact the Metro entertainment team through email, phone, or their Submit Stuff page. We'd love to hear from you.