Strictly Come Dancing 'welcoming back' professional dancer
A professional dancer who appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2016 is returning, according to reports.
Strictly Come Dancing is said to be welcoming back a professional dancer for the 2026 series.
The Sun newspaper reports that Maddie Ingoldsby, 21, who has danced since the age of six, is one of five new pros who have joined the BBC Latin and Ballroom dance show, 10 years after she performed in a special one-off routine with the programme's troupe at the age of 11.
Speaking of that moment, Maddie - who has competed since she was aged 11 with her 26-year-old dance partner, Mark Chilcote - is quoted by the publication as saying: "I loved seeing all the pros and celebrities.
"I met Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman and all the judges. My favourites were dancers AJ Pritchard and Chloe Hewitt."
Maddie's supposed signing, following brutal cast culls as part of a huge shake-up of Strictly Come Dancing, would make her the second youngest pro on the show, as she is only a few months older than Chloe Hewitt, who joined in 2016.
Maddie, who starred in the 2019 film Last Christmas, and mum, Jane Vaughan is also a dancer, boasts over 300,000 followers on TikTok and more than 40,000 on Instagram.
That is thought to have attracted the dance competition's bosses as it was previously reported 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.
Karen Hauer, 44, Nadiya Bychkova and Luba Mushtuk, both 36, Gorka Marquez, 35, and Michelle Tsiakkas, 30, were axed as part of a big shake-up of Strictly Come Dancing for the 2026 series.
In April, ex-show pro Brendan Cole, 50, 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, Nadiya, Luba, Gorka, 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."
As well as five new professional dancers on Strictly Come Dancing, the 2026 series will see Emma Willis, 50, Josh Widdicombe, 43, and 39-year-old Johannes Radebe - a pro on Strictly since 2018 - debut as hosts, following the departure of Tess Daly, 57, and Claudia Winkleman, 54, at the end of the 2025 season in December.
The BBC has started to reveal the celebrities who will battle it out to win the coveted Glitterball trophy.
Those announced so far are EastEnders icon Lacey Turner, 38, Neighbours alum Delta Goodrem, 41, Love Island alums Dani Dyer, 29, who withdrew from the 2025 series due to an ankle injury, and Cach Mercer, 25, celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton, 43, Paralympian Dame Sarah Storey, 48, and 41-year-old Big Brother host Will Best.
The BBC will announce more contestants in due course.
