Bruno Tonioli will not be returning to Strictly Come Dancing this year after he confirmed his exit.
He has been a judge on the BBC series for 18 years and has been a fan-favourite across all those years.
Bruno, 66, was with the BBC show since its inception, though over the past couple of years has only made small appearances.
This was because of the coronavirus pandemic, forcing him to keep away from the programme after he travelled to the US.
During last year’s show, he was replaced by Anton du Beke, one of the series’ professional dancers, leading to him being a frontrunner to take over Bruno's job full time.
Who are the favourites for new Strictly judge?
It’ll come as no surprise that Anton is a frontrunner for a full-time position on the judge’s panel.
Fans have loved him for years and he was a welcome addition during the 2021 competition.
Based on the odds from bookmakers Coral, he has a 1-2 chance of becoming a permanent member of the team.
Closely behind him is Cynthia Erivo with 3-1 odds, who also made a couple of appearances during the 2021 series.
Coral’s John Hill said: “Anton was very comfortable on the judging panel last year, and he has been well backed in our betting to replace Bruno Tonioli once again in 2022.
"We have not ruled out Anton lifting the Glitterball Trophy in the future, but for now, his future could be as a judge on the show."
During an interview with Great British Life, Anton was asked if he would be removed from the judging panel in future series.
He replied: "The absolute truth is that I don't know. I haven't been told. They literally haven’t spoken to me about it. So, whatever you've read, it is just a rumour.
"I'm hoping to get a call to say: 'Look, here you go, come back judging please,' but we'll wait and see. I would like to think I'd be on the show in one way or another.
“I wouldn't like to think they would just get rid of me altogether."
Former head judge Len Goodman and BGT judge Alesha Dixon are also in the rankings, with 5-1 and 8-1 odds respectively.
Why is Bruno Tonioli leaving Strictly?
Bruno has not released an official statement on leaving Strictly, though there is speculation that he is stepping away to pursue another programme.
He is also a judge on the USA’s Dancing With The Stars, and according to MailOnline, he wants to concentrate on that show moving forward.
On May 17, he was nominated for the Critics Choice Real TV Awards for his work on Dancing With The Stars.
He posted the news on his Instagram account, simply writing: “Thank you.”
The show itself was also nominated for Best Competition Series at the MTV Movie & TV Awards and Bruno wrote on Instagram: "WOW thank you we are delighted.”
