Strictly Come Dancing fans have declared that bosses have made a ‘bad call’ after it was reported that professional Kai Widdrington will not have a celebrity partner in the new series.
The dancer was paired with Angela Rippon for the 2023 run, but sources said that due to the lesser number of female celebrities, he’s missed out this year.
Fans have taken to social media to share their fury at the news, admitting they’re ‘absolutely devastated’ that Kai won’t be dancing with another star this year.
One was also quick to question the decision to bring back pro Aljaž Škorjanec, if at least one professional dancer wasn’t going to be paired with a female celebrity.
Posts to X included: ‘What!!! No!!! @kaiwidd must have a partner. Does that mean @Mr_NJones is partner-less too?’
‘No way!! Kai is one of the best and a true gent; I think the Strictly shine is tarnishing before our eyes!’
‘Gutted Kai isn’t getting a partner this year. He’s an absolutely sweetheart and surely is a great ambassador for #Strictly after the recent controversies;’
‘This is a very bad call. Kai is a huge audience favourite; Kai is one of my favourite male pros too;’
‘If it’s true Kai has been benched this year I will be absolutely devastated;’
‘Gutted Kai isn’t getting a partner this year. He’s an absolutely sweetheart and surely is a great ambassador for #Strictly after the recent controversies;’
‘So that’s no same-sex couples, and now no Kai. (On top of the actual scandal mess, obviously). It’s not looking good;’
Noting Aljaz’s recent return, one fan also posted: ‘They’ve brought back an old pro and given him a partner so they could bench those… what in the world is going on! Why??’
‘Tbh Aljaz wouldn’t come back to just sit on the bench, so wbk he’ll get one, but NEIL AS WELL?? HUH? I assume it will be Neil and one of Carlos or Johannes (if too busy with KB rehearsals) but… kai? Make it make sense.’
Although he was confirmed to be returning to the series, Kai has been forced to step down from the competition due to the small amount of female celebrities taking part. He will still take part in the group dances.
In this year’s line-up, only six women will compete against nine men – a first in the show’s history.
A source told The Sun: ‘Kai has become the first casualty of this year’s male-heavy line-up. With so few female celebrities it was inevitable that some of the professionals would miss out on a pairing, but it’s a real blow that Kai is one of them.
‘He had a great run last series with Angela and is a fan favourite. But, just like last year with Nadiya when she wasn’t given a partner, bosses have to look at a number of factors when choosing which dancer to pair with which celebrity.
‘They look at everything from height through to chemistry tests to see who will work best together and it’s meant Kai has missed out. He will be part of the group dances alongside other males who haven’t been selected this year.’
MailOnline have contacted Kai and Strictly Come Dancing for a comment.
The male-heavy line-up follow a flurry of bullying allegations after Amanda Abbington and Zara McDermott spoke about their experiences in rehearsals.
This year, Giovanni Pernice, 33, and Graziano Di Prima were on the receiving end of allegations they had mistreated their celebrity dance partners.
Giovanni has vehemently denied any wrongdoing while Graziano, 30, initially confirmed and regretted his actions against Zara.
The identities of the contestants competing in series 22 of Strictly, beginning in September, were unveiled from August 5.
It comes after it was confirmed that a verdict on the Giovanni-Amanda Abbington row is expected to be announced within days.
The Strictly scandal erupted when Sherlock actress Amanda quit the show in 2023.
She claimed that her dancing partner Giovanni was abusive towards her which led to her later quitting the show.
In July, Graziano was sacked, accused of ‘kicking’ his celebrity dancing partner Love Island star Zara McDermott during their time together.
DIY SOS star Nick Knowles, former footballer Paul Merson and GB hockey sensation Sam Quek are set for new series.
Blind comedian Chris McCausland was the first celeb contestant of the 2024 series, to be unveiled, appearing on This Morning on Monday to announce the news.
They will be joined by JLS star JB Gill, singers Wynne Evans and Toyah Willcox, NHS and TV doctor Punam Krishan.
Love Island’s Tasha Ghouri, TOWIE’s Pete Wicks, EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick, actors Shayne Ward and Sarah Hadland as well as Olympians Montell Douglas and Tom Dean will also join the cast.
