Strictly Come Dancing winners Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice with the glitterball trophy in December (Guy Levy/BBC/PA)
(Picture: PA Media)Strictly Come Dancing have confirmed the professional dancers for the 2022 series.
It comes after the shock departures of dancers Aljaz Skorjanec and Oti Mabuse.
Reigning Strictly Come Dancing champion Giovanni Pernice is returning to the show for its 20th series.
The dancer, 31, will be joined by fellow returning Strictly professionals Johannes Radebe, Nadiya Bychkova, Dianne Buswell and Graziano Di Prima.
Pernice, who first joined the BBC One show in 2015, picked up the Glitterball trophy with actress Rose Ayling-Ellis in 2021. That was his first victory in the competition.
Ayling-Ellis, 27, was the first deaf contestant on the show and, during couple’s choice week, the pair performed a routine in which they paused the music and danced in silence as a tribute to the deaf community.
Pernice is now the longest-serving male professional in the current line-up.
His previous celebrity partners have included Georgia May Foote, Michelle Visage and Debbie McGee.
Anton Du Beke was previously the show’s longest-running professional, having appeared on the show since it first aired in 2004.
However, last year he swapped the dancefloor for the judging panel as he took over from Bruno Tonioli.
The BBC has not yet said if Du Beke will be returning as a judge or professional dancer in the forthcoming series.
Mabuse, 31, announced in February that she was quitting, while Skorjanec, 32, revealed he was leaving via Instagram on March 28.
In 2020, Mabuse lifted the Glitterball trophy with comedian Bill Bailey.
Skorjanec won with model and TV star Abbey Clancy in 2013.
After a successful debut in 2021, Kai Widdrington, Nikita Kuzmin, Cameron Lombard and Jowita Przystal will also be returning to the show.
Other returning professionals include Amy Dowden, Karen Hauer, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, Gorka Marquez, Luba Mushtuk and Nancy Xu.
The prime time show’s executive producer, Sarah James, said: “We could not be more proud of the Strictly professional dancers and we are so happy to have so many returning for 2022.
“The world-class skill and extraordinary care they bring to everything they do, from working with their celebrity partners to choreographing and performing remarkable and unforgettable routines, never ceases to amaze us.
“They really are the best in the business and we can’t wait to see what they bring to the Strictly ballroom for our 20th fabulous series.”
Additional dancers will be announced in due course.
