Strictly 2026 fans were left fuming over the treatment of the show’s new professional dancers during last night’s launch show (Saturday, September 19).
Five new pros joined the BBC show this year, but just two were given celebrity partners for the new series.
Three new pros miss out on celeb partners in Strictly 2026
Strictly 2026 marked the start of a new chapter for the BBC One favourite last night.
Alongside a brand-new group of celebrities and new presenting trio Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe, and Johannes Radebe, five professional dancers also made their Strictly debuts.
Maddie Ingoldsby, Aleksandra Isaeva, Mark Karmalita, Lethabo Monametsi, and Cristian Priori were introduced during the launch, making quite the entrance with a spectacular group routine.
But when the time came for the celebrity pairings to be revealed, only two of the five newcomers were given partners.
Maddie, 21, was paired with 25-year-old Love Island star Cach Mercer.
Canadian dancer Mark, 23, meanwhile, was paired with Olympic champion Tabby Stoecker.
That left Cristian, Lethabo, and Aleksandra without celebrity partners for the 2026 series.
Fans fume over treatment of new pros
Fans quickly took to X to share their disappointment at three of the new professionals missing out on a celebrity partner.
“What’s the point of bringing in newbies if you’re not showcasing them?” one fan tweeted.
“I hope the other 3 new pros get theirs next year [fingers crossed emojis] both [sic] are so lovely!! Gutted for them,” another said.
“Would have loved to have seen Lethabo [paired up]; her part was so good in the pro dance,” a third fumed.
“They’ve benched Cristian; I feel sick omfg, I can’t take this…,” another added.
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Neil Jones benched again
The three new professionals aren’t the only dancers to be sitting out the main competition this year.
Strictly veteran Neil Jones has also been left without a celebrity partner for another series.
The 44-year-old dancer has had just three celebrity partners during his 11 years on the show, although he has been partnered with six celebrities for the Christmas specials.
Neil appeared to poke fun at the situation in an Instagram video following the launch.
In the clip, he wrote: “If I get the pen in the cup I will get a celeb partner.”
He then replaced the cup with a large bin. But just as he was about to drop the pen inside, someone off-screen caught it and snatched it away.
“You know I love being part of @bbcstrictly and honestly, after adding 2 Guinness World Records last year to my 45 titles around the world, I feel like it would be greedy to win the glitter ball as well, so I wanted to give the others a chance,” he captioned the post.
“JUSTICE FOR NEIL!!” one fan wrote in the comments.
“Neil, please…don’t do this; think we are mourning more than you at this point,” another added.
Strictly continues next Saturday (September 26) from 6.15pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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