'Clean-living' Strictly Come Dancing pro Julian Caillon 'survives' brutal cull
It has been reported that Strictly Come Dancing star Julian Caillon will return for the 2026 series after surviving the brutal professional dancers cull.
Julian Caillon has reportedly survived the brutal cull of Strictly Come Dancing professional dancers.
Bosses of the BBC Latin and Ballroom dance competition have axed Karen Hauer and Nancy Xu, both 34, Gorka Marquez, 35, Nadiya Bychkova and Luba Mushtuk, both 36, and 30-year-old Michelle Tsiakkas as part of a big shake-up of the programme.
But the producers are said to have been impressed with Julian, 30, after he made his Strictly Come Dancing debut on the 2025 series - in which he reached the semi-final with 47-year-old EastEnders actress Balvinder Sopal.
Julian also has 52,000 TikTok followers, and it is thought that big social media presences among the professional dancers played a part in who stayed and got the chop in a bid to attract younger viewers to Strictly Come Dancing.
A source told The Sun newspaper's TVBiz column: "Julian was not only liked by the bosses, but he also went down well with the viewers. But most importantly, he leads a very clean-living and trouble-free life.
"His fiancee 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.
"He’s set to sign in the coming weeks."
In the coming days, the BBC is expected to reveal which professional dancers will star on the 2026 series of Strictly Come Dancing, which is set to air in September.
Earlier this month, former Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Brendan Cole, 49, criticised the "harsh" way Michelle's three years on the show ended in a brutal 30-minute online Zoom meeting with an executive producer.
Speaking to Sky Vegas, Brendan - who was on Strictly Come Dancing from the start in 2004 until 2017 after the BBC did not renew his contract, citing an "editorial decision", in January 2018 - acknowledged that "the nature of exits can be brutal".
He added: "Strictly is a machine, and when they’re done, they’re done.
"I wasn’t there, but the way Michelle Tsiakkas was axed from the show does sound harsh. It’s a business decision, but it can feel deeply personal to the person on the receiving end."
Fellow former Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Vincent Simone, 47, said he understands there is "no easy way" for bosses to get rid of dancers and that they are "either in the show, or you’re not".
But ultimately, the star - who quit the programme in 2012 after six years - feels sorry for Karen, Nancy, Gorka, Nadiya, Luba and Michelle.
He added to Paddy Power Games: "Some dancers have already been in a position where they didn’t always have a celebrity partner, so the transition might not be as shocking.
"But for those who had a partner every year, it’s much harder because they lose the full Strictly experience."
Strictly Come Dancing bosses are hunting for new co-hosts, following the departure of Tess Daly, 57, and Claudia Winkleman, 54, at the end of the 2025 series in December.
Many names have been tipped, including former BBC Radio 2 broadcaster Zoe Ball, 55, ex-Big Brother host Emma Willis, 50, comedienne Miranda Hart, This Morning star Rylan Clark, 37, The Chase's Bradley Walsh, 65, and The One Show co-host Roman Kemp, 33.
In February, The Sun on Sunday newspaper reported that Zoe and Emma are in a "straight shoot-out" to host Strictly Come Dancing alongside a "female stand-up comedian".
And former Strictly Come Dancing judge Bruno Tonioli, 70, has warned that Strictly Come Dancing will not be "special" and "empowering" anymore if it scraps female co-hosts.
Bruno - who was a judge from 2004 until 2022 - recently told the Daily Mail newspaper's Eden Confidential column: "I think it will be better for them to find two women to replace Tess and Claudia because what I liked is that you had these two women holding the show.
"It was empowering to watch, and that's what Strictly should be. Having Tess and Claudia together on the show made it quite special."
A Strictly spokeswoman said: "Plans for Strictly Come Dancing 2026 will be confirmed in due course."
