BBC Strictly Come Dancing fans spot someone missing as professional line-up revealed after two stars quit

Strictly Come Dancing has announced which professional dancers are returning to the hit BBC One dance contest later this year after two of its major stars quit.

Earlier this week fans of the programme, which will return to screens in the Autumn, were left gutted when show favourite Aljaz Skorjanec announced that he was quitting after nine years. His exit comes after his wife, Janette Manrara, also left the show as a professional dancer before the 2021 series and became a host of its BBC Two spin-off, It Takes Two.

Aljaz's announcement also came weeks after Oti Mabuse, who has lifted the Glitterball trophy twice during her seven years on the show, also announced she was set to leave after bagging a place on the Dancing On Ice judging panel and landing her own ITV dating show.

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So, without further ado, the BBC has announced that the professional dancers returning for Strictly Come Dancing 2022 are Dianne Buswell, Nadiya Bychkova, Graziano Di Prima, Amy Dowden, Karen Hauer, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Cameron Lombard, Gorka Marquez, Luba Mushtuk, Giovanni Pernice, Jowita Przystal, Johannes Radebe, Kai Widdrington and Nancy Xu.

Sarah James, Strictly's executive producer, 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