Spanish native Gorka Marquez is reportedly one of five Strictly Come Dancing professionals that could be cut from the show and it’s seen the comments he made weeks ago very awkward
Strictly Come Dancing may prefer to keep its awkward moments for practice days where the cameras rarely visit, but a resurfaced clip has put them front and centre.
Professional dancer Gorka Marquez has been on the show since 2016 and even reached the final three times, in 2017, 2020 and 2022, yet despite his undoubted talents, the 34-year-old is reportedly facing being cut from the show, making a once sweet clip, now quite awkward.
In a recent video celebrating the 20th anniversary of the series, the star shared his hopes for the next 20 years of Strictly and admitted when the BBC show celebrates its 40th anniversary, he would still like to be competing.
“I don’t know but I do hope I am still here in 20 years time. I will be 53 but hopefully I’ll still be here,” he said in the short clip after being asked what he thinks is in store for the show and its cast in two decades time.
While it was a nice comment at the time, it has since become an awkward topic for show creators who are reportedly looking at cutting five of their dancers despite having been a part of the show for years.
As well as Gorka, it has been claimed Nadiya Bychkova, 35, Neil Jones, 42, Karen Hauer, 42, and Katya Jones, 35, are also at risk of being cut and replaced with younger dancers after this season’s newbies wowed crowds.
An insider told The Sun : “The review of the line-up has always been about making a fresh start, and that was always going to be affected by which dancers performed well this series.”
The comment seemingly refers to the fact that the dancers who could lose their jobs are all out of the competition, except for Katya. However, she has not had the best season, and recently found herself embroiled in a “groping” scandal with her celebrity partner Wynne Evans.
The source continued to say there are several “fading” stars in the current line-up who can easily be replaced, which has reportedly resulted in an ageism row behind the scenes.
Describing any move as “harsh”, the insider claimed that’s just part of the traditional turnover. “Of the five names in the mix, almost all of them went out in the first half of the series, which is very much seen as a landmark point for Strictly,” the source continued.
“It couldn’t have come at a worse time for them because Strictly bosses feel they need to make some major changes, even if that means big names leaving.”
While it would be a loss for fans, it may not be the worst thing for Gorka, who is also a part of the Spanish version of the show, Bailando Con Las Estrellas, where he takes on a more serious role as a judge.
Strictly has been hit with multiple scandals over the past year after the shock resignation of fan favourite Giovanni Pernice, who was accused of being “abusive” toward his ex-dance partner Amanda Abbington. Soon after, Graziano Di Prima was fired by bosses after his dance partner Zara McDermott claimed he, too, was abusive and alleged that he kicked her.
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