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One of Strictly Come Dancing’s newest professionals has reportedly survived the dreaded cast cull – and is set to sign up for the upcoming 24th series.
Julian Caillon, 30, is thought to have impressed bosses to the extent he will be staying on the show, after six dancers were axed from the lineup.
He joined the show last year and reached the semi-finals with EastEnders star Balvinder Sopal.
The full list of professionals set to return hasn’t been confirmed by Strictly bosses but is expected to be announced in the coming days.
In recent weeks dancers Karen Hauer, 43, Michelle Tsiakkas, 30, Nadiya Bychkova, 36, Luba Mushtuk, 36, and Gorka Marquez, 35, have been cut from the show.
A source said: ‘Julian was not only liked by the bosses but he also went down well with the viewers.’
They went on to tell The Sun: ‘Most importantly he leads a very clean-living and trouble free life.
‘His fiancée is a fitness expert and together they really are that perfect good-looking, clean-living couple, which after everything that’s happened over the last few years is exactly what the bosses want.’
Julian boasts 52,000 followers on TikTok, which may have convinced bosses to keep him on the show after it was reported they were looking at dancers’ social media audiences.
The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Strictly Come Dancing for comment.
Sources claimed that bosses judged some pros’ following on TikTok when decided which stars would be axed in the show’s mass cull, stating they have chosen to keep pros with a bigger online following in a desperate bid to draw in younger viewers.
Now its been claimed those with bigger online followings have been chosen over dancers who are not so TikTok friendly.
One example appears to be axed Nadiya who boasts 19,000 followers, while Dianne Buswell with 966,000 followers has kept her place in the line-up.
Karen, who was Strictly’s longest-serving female dancer, is a similar story with her 9,000 followers while safe newcomer Alexis Warr, 25, has a whopping 190,000.
Meanwhile Fleur East and Janette Manrara have also reportedly been axed from Strictly Come Dancing’s spin-off It Takes Two.
Insiders say bosses are plotting a major revamp of the BBC Two weeknight show in the wake of a string of scandals that have rocked the franchise.
Do YOU think Strictly bosses made the right call keeping Julian?
Former Strictly pro Janette, 42, took over hosting duties in 2021 after eight years on the main show, while pop star Fleur, 38, joined the line-up in 2023 after reaching the final the year before.
But now both stars are said to be in the firing line as executives push for a bold new direction.
‘Fans will be stunned that this bloodbath is continuing, but bosses are determined to overhaul the show completely,’ an industry source told The Sun.
‘Nobody feels safe right now and there’s a real drive behind the scenes to usher in a fresh era after all the recent drama.
‘But the priority is a clean slate by September and putting distance between the show and the controversies of recent years.’
The source added actions taken by BBC bosses do not mean Janette and Fleur ‘are out of the picture entirely’ and that there could be other roles for them ‘elsewhere’.
Sources suggest bosses are aiming for an entirely fresh start following years of criticism and controversy surrounding the professional dancers.
Elsewhere, Neil Jones, 43, who has rarely had a celebrity dance partner on the show, will also go without one this year, as will Nancy Xu, 34. It’s believed they may still appear in the big group dance numbers.
