Strictly Come Dancing star Vito Coppola urged the professional dancers axed amid the programme’s bloodbath to ‘not be too sad about it’.
Vito, 33, joined the BBC show in 2022 and won the competition in 2023 with dance partner Ellie Leach.
Although the Italian star is returning for Strictly’s next series, several of his fellow dancers were let go.
Karen Hauer, 43, Gorka Marquez, 35, Nadiya Bychkova, 36, Michelle Tsiakkas, 30, and Luba Mushtuk, 36, have all been given the boot.
Speaking to The Sun, Vito addressed the multiple exits and issued some advice to his former colleagues.
He said: ‘In the dancing world, there is this rule that I have personally learnt ‘never to be too happy or too sad when something happens’.
Strictly Come Dancing’s Vito Coppola has addressed multiple pro dancers’ exits from the BBC show
Vito, 33, joined the BBC show in 2022 and won the competition in 2023 with dance partner Ellie Leach
‘It just helps you to keep grounded and keep moving.’
Elsewhere, Vito also spoke about his own future on Strictly Come Dancing and what keeps him coming back each year.
He shared: ‘Strictly became my second family, Strictly is the reason I came to the UK.
‘For me, it’s a special bubble. It’s a second family.
‘I always say some of the pros are closer – like brothers and sisters and some are like cousins, aunties. I like to recreate my familiar environment.’
It comes as show bosses confirmed the professional dancers that will be returning for the new series, after a string of stars were axed in a brutal cast cull.
Those making a comeback include Dianne Buswell, who competed on the show last year while pregnant with her first child, and gave birth to son Bowden in March.
Amy Dowden will also be back on the show, after her stint on last year’s run came to an early end, when she and Thomas Skinner were the first pair to be eliminated.
Also set to return are: Julian Caillon, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Jowita Przystał, Johannes Radebe, Aljaž Škorjanec, Alexis Warr, Kai Widdrington, Nancy Xu, Lauren Oakley and Vito Coppola.
Bosses also revealed that there will be brand new professional dancers joining the line-up in 2026, while judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and Head Judge Shirley Ballas are also set to return.
However, they have still not secured new hosts following Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman’s departure, and it’s a race against time with just four months to go before the 24th series is due to kick off.
Last week, Gorka confirmed his permanent departure from Strictly Come Dancing – putting an end to ongoing uncertainty regarding his future on the show.
The Spanish ballroom professional is the latest high-profile name to be leaving the much-loved programme amid this year’s bloodbath as producers make sweeping cast changes ahead of its 24th series later this year.
Taking to Instagram on Tuesday, he wrote: ‘After last year’s decision to step down as a full-time professional due to scheduling conflicts between Strictly and Dancing With The Stars Spain, I’ve decided that now is the time to hang up my dance shoes and say goodbye to Strictly Come Dancing.
‘I will always be incredibly grateful to Strictly and the BBC for everything.
‘Being part of the show has been so much more than just a professional opportunity—over the past 10 years, it allowed me to build a career from my passion, find love, start a family, and make lifelong friends. For that, I will forever be thankful.
‘Although I’m stepping away from the dance floor, I can’t wait to dance on the Strictly Pro Tour starting this week and continue being part of this incredible family.
‘Now it’s time to take a step back, enjoy the sidelines… and hopefully hold up a few paddles and give out some tens along the way.
‘Thank you to everyone who has supported me and shared their love throughout this incredible journey. Keep dancing.’
Leaks about celebrity competitors normally begin to circulate around this time of year, but instead all the focus is on finding replacements for Claudia and Tess, who departed the flagship show last year.
Tess and Claudia announced they were leaving back in October but six months on there is still no confirmation of who will take over.
After weeks of speculation and multiple major names turning the job down, nine shortlisted stars were summoned to a top-secret location in London to battle it out in full-scale dress rehearsals with a judging panel and live band in a bid to get the troubled show back on track.
BBC bosses held secret auditions and chemistry tests with the celebrities and forced the stars to sign strict NDAs to keep the tryouts under wraps.
A source told The Sun: ‘It’s not just about reading autocue. They’ll be looking at how people work together and humour is a massive part of it. There’s everything to play for.’
Five Strictly Come Dancing professionals have been axed – including longest serving pro Karen Hauer (pictured dancing with Paul Merson in 2024)
The chosen few who were called to the final test were watched closely and bosses are hoping to make a decision soon.
Among those confirmed to be in the callbacks were Rylan Clark, Emma Willis, Tom Allen, podcast host Angela Scanlon and One Show presenter Alex Jones.
Other stars summoned to the auditions were This Morning host Alison Hammond, The Chase presenter Bradley Walsh, RuPaul’s Drag Race star La Voix and Radio 2’s Zoe Ball.
A source said: ‘They really want to bring the fun this year. It’s all about chemistry, who clicks instantly and can keep the energy up live on air.
‘They could stick with two female hosts as that’s worked brilliantly. But they’re also open to mixing it up.
‘If Rylan and Tom Allen click, that could be a hilarious pairing. Equally, they could even introduce a third presenter to shake things up.’
Following the auditions, a source told Daily Mail’s Alison Boshoff that four clear frontrunners have emerged: Angela, Rylan, Emma and Zoe.
The celebrities all tried out in various combinations; and Rylan worked well with all three of the front-running girls.
Zoe and Angela was deemed a dud, but the former Radio 2 star worked well with Emma.
‘Angela was the surprise hit – she did really well. The BBC said that this had to be all about the chemistry between the presenters and their ability to react to live comments and situations – and she shone.
‘She was good with everyone except for Zoe. And Rylan was good with everyone.’
Strictly Come Dancing airs on BBC One and iPlayer.
