Can you believe it's been 20 years since Strictly Come Dancing first aired? That's right, two decades - and yet somehow we haven't aged a day...
There have been dozens of professional dancers on the Strictly ballroom floor since the programme started back in 2004 and the group of pros taking part in the upcoming series later this year was recently announced by the Beeb. So, let's get to know them shall we?
Trust us, they're a very impressive bunch.
Strictly Come Dancing professional dancers
1 of 18Aljaž Škorjanec
It was recently announced that legendary Strictly pro Aljaž Škorjanec will be returning to the show after his departure in 2021. Aljaž won the show in 2013 with Abbey Clancy and finished as a runner-up with Gemma Atkinson four years later.
Aljaž is married to Janette Manrara, the former Strictly pro who now presents It Takes Two and they became parents to daughter Lyra last year.
2 of 18Amy Dowden
Amy Dowden will be returning to the ballroom floor later this year after being forced to miss out on Strictly in 2023 due to her breast cancer diagnosis. Earlier this year, Amy was told there's no evidence of the disease left in her body and she recently took part in the annual CoppaFeel! trek to raise much-needed awareness and cash for the breast cancer charity.
Amy has been on the ballroom floor since 2017 and has been partnered with the likes of Brian Conley, Danny John-Jules and, most recently, EastEnders actor James Bye. She made it to the final in 2019 with Karim Zeroual.
3 of 18Carlos Gu
Carlos Gu is one of the newest Strictly pros and joined the series in 2022. He was partnered with presenter, actor and singer Molly Rainford. They impressively finished as runners up behind Hamza Yassin and Jowita Przystal. Last year, Carlos danced with TV presenter Angela Scanlon and they were they ninth couple to be eliminated.
Carlos has many achievements under his belt, including the Chinese National Championships. He has also been in several semi-finals during his time competing.
4 of 18Dianne Buswell
Australian pro Dianne Buswell has appeared on Strictly for over five years now after making her debut in 2017. She has partnered with several familiar faces including YouTuber Joe Sugg, who she later became romantically involved with.
She has appeared on other dance shows too including So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With the Stars. Dianne has won many competitions in her time and has been on Broadway since 2011 in Burn the Floor.
5 of 18Gorka Marquez
Gorka Marquez has competed for the Glitterball trophy since 2016 and has danced with EastEnders' Maisie Smith and Countryfile presenter Helen Skelton.
In 2019, he took a year off from having a celebrity partner and danced the pros' group dances instead, but returned to the competition in 2020. Like Dianne, Gorka has starred in Burn the Floor and represented his home country of Spain in the World Latin Championships in 2010.
6 of 18Johannes Radebe
Johannes Radebe has been on our version of Strictly since 2018 and got his first celebrity in 2019 when he partnered with former Corrie actress Catherine Tyldesley. His 2023 partner was tennis legend Annabel Croft and they just missed out on the final.
Before coming to the UK, he competed on Strictly Come Dancing South Africa for two series. He is also a two-time Professional South African Latin Champion.
7 of 18Jowita Przystal
Jowita is a relatively new face, having joined the Strictly pros in 2022. She was partnered with CBeebies star Hamza Yassin, and they only went and won the series. Winning in your first year with a celebrity partner? Seriously impressive. Last year, Jowita danced with Paralympian Jody Cundy and they were eliminated third.
She began dancing at the age of 12 and has won titles such as Polish Open Latin Champion. Jowita retired from competing in 2015 and began dancing in Burn the Floor. She also won The Greatest Dancer in 2020.
8 of 18Kai Widdrington
Kai Widdrington has been a pro dancer since 2017 and participated in many pro dances over the years, but he didn’t get his first celebrity partner until 2021 when he was coupled with TV presenter AJ Odudu. Then, in 2022, he danced with broadcaster Kaye Adams but they were sadly eliminated in week one. He faired better in 2023, making it to week eight with Angela Rippon.
Kai is no stranger to telly either, as he got all the way to the final of Britain’s Got Talent in 2012.
9 of 18Karen Hauer
Karen Hauer has been on Strictly since 2012, which means that she’s the show's longest-running female dancer. She has been partnered with the likes of Westlife singer Nicky Byrne and TOWIE icon Mark Wright.
Karen has danced since she was eight years old and has been doing Latin since she was 19. She was crowned World Mambo Champion in 2008.
10 of 18Katya Jones
The first Strictly pro on this list to lift the Glitterball trophy, Katya Jones won Strictly with Scottish actor Joe McFadden in 2017 - a year after joining the show. She also made Strictly history in 2020 when she danced with boxer Nicola Adams, making them the show's first ever same-sex couple.
Katya has been dancing since she was six and has competed in many competitions. Her dance partner is none other than fellow dancing pro and ex-husband Neil Jones. The pair went on to get to a major final in a competition just a year after they first started dancing together.
11 of 18Lauren Oakley
Lauren Oakley joined Strictly in 2022, but didn't get her first celebrity partner until the following year. In 2023, she made it to week seven with newsreader Krishnan Guru-Murthy.
She was born in Birmingham and began dancing when she was just two years old. She has competed at the Blackpool Dance Festival and won the title of Juvenile Champion among other accomplishments.
12 of 18Luba Mushtuk
Luba Mushtuk has been a part of Strictly since 2016, joining as an assistant choreographer, and becoming a professional dancer in 2018. She had her first celebrity partner in 2019 when she danced with Olympic rowing champion James Cracknell and has also danced with former American footballer Jason Bell.
Luba has worked on Burn the Floor with some of her fellow Strictly pros and has competed in, been a finalist in, and won many championships, including the European 10 Dance Championships.
13 of 18Michelle Tsiakkas
Another pro who joined Strictly in 2022, Michelle Tsiakkas is a dancing force. She won various titles for her home country of Cyprus for 10 years consecutively from 2001 to 2011. She moved to the UK to study and has since joined some of her fellow Strictly pros in Burn the Floor.
14 of 18Nadiya Bychkova
Nadiya Bychkova has been on Strictly for seven years now. She has danced with two former EastEnders actors, Davood Ghadami and Lee Ryan, presenter Dan Walker, and was partnered with Bros singer Matt Goss in 2022.
She has appeared on the Bosnian version of Strictly and competed in many different dance competitions during her career.
15 of 18Nancy Xu
Nancy Xu has been on our screens since 2019 and has danced with CBBC presenter Rhys Stephenson and Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps actor Will Mellor. She has appeared on the Chinese version of So You Think You Can Dance, where she got to the finals and was a finalist in the Latin Under 21 World Championships.
16 of 18Neil Jones
Neil has been a part of the Strictly family since 2016, participating in pro dances and making appearances on sister show It Takes Two. He finally got his first celebrity partner in 2019 when he danced with former footballer Alex Scott.
He started dancing at the age of three, starting with ballet before making his way into other types of dancing such as tap and ballroom. Neil then met and began dancing with Katya in 2008.
17 of 18Nikita Kuzmin
Nikita Kuzmin has been only been on the show since 2019, but he's already a fan favourite. The pro, who is Ukrainian, moved to Italy at the age of nine where he became a six-time champion in Latin and Ballroom for Italy.
He has danced with the likes of Paralympian Ellie Simmonds, TV presenter Tilly Ramsay and West End star Layton Williams. Earlier this year, Nikita appeared on the first ITV series of Celebrity Big Brother and finished in second place behind winner David Potts.
18 of 18Vito Coppola
Vito Coppola was a new addition to the 2022 series and danced with X Factor star Fleur East. He has previously appeared on the Italian edition of Strictly, Ballando con le Stelle.
Last year, in his second year on the show, Vito won Strictly with former Coronation Street actress Ellie Leach.
Why did Giovanni Pernice leave Strictly?
It was recently confirmed that Giovanni Pernice, who won the show with Rose Ayling-Ellis in 2021, would not be returning to Strictly when the BBC revealed this year's professional line-up. Giovanni is at the centre of an internal BBC probe into "serious workplace misconduct", but has denied "any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour".
Amanda Abbington, who withdrew from the competition after being paired with Giovanni last year, previously branded him "nasty" and "awful" and revealed she had requested that their training sessions were recorded.
Why was Graziano Di Prima axed from Strictly?
Graziano Di Prima was sacked from his role on Strictly earlier this month amid claims of misconduct while dancing with Love Island's Zara McDermott last year.
"I deeply regret the events that led to my departure from Strictly. My intense passion and determination to win might have affected my training regime," he wrote on Instagram.
Graziano was accused of kicking and spitting at Zara and although he has admitted to kicking her, he denies spitting.
"There is never a time when kicking, or any sense of that is right. And he knows that. He knows he's made a mistake. He apologised at the time," his spokesperson said.
When did Aljaž leave Strictly and why?
Aljaž revealed he was leaving Strictly in 2022, opening up about his personal struggles in a candid Instagram post. He said, "A year and a half ago I hit an early midlife crisis and now I don't know what I want to do in my life. I love talking now, so I love doing Q&As birthdays, calls - don't make me dance but I can talk for ages.” He also explained that he wanted to "focus on other opportunities".
Since leaving the show, Aljaž also opened up about wanting to focus more time on his roles as a husband and father. Now, two years on from his departure, Aljaž is returning to Strictly for the 20th series.
It was recently reported that Aljaž's exit was sparked by "a pretty shocking altercation with another female dancer" and that his return had upset some of the other pros. A source told The Sun, "Most were relieved to see him go back then and are aghast he’s been given a free pass back."
However, a representative for the dancer said, it was "untrue to say or suggest he was forced out or that he acted in an aggressive manner at any time". They added, "Aljaž has the utmost respect for everyone he works with. He chose to leave the show in 2022 of his own accord but he has always loved Strictly and was delighted to be asked back."