Strictly Come Dancing fans were rocked by reports that one of the show’s fan favourite performers would be leaving the competition after six years on the show – but fortunately the star has taken to social media to call the rumours “lies”. 

Johannes Radebe, 37, joined the show back in 2018 and is currently partnered with Montell Douglas – and responded to the reports with a video shared on Instagram, saying: “I’m not going nowhere. I love @bbcstrictly and I want to do this beautiful show for as long as they want me – and the body will allow it. I have Kinky Boots and other work in the pipeline, yes but nothing will take me away.” 

In the video, he is singing the words ‘I’m not going anywhere,’ before saying: “It’s a lie! Liza Minelli lie!” He is then joined by his dance partner Montell and as they begin to dance together, he shouted: “Why they tell lies about me!” 

His fellow dancing pros were loving it, with Gorka Marquez replying with laughing and clapping emojis, while Carlos Gu wrote: “Liza’s lie, I love it!” 

Fans have been concerned about reports coming out of the BBC show recently, as it has also been claimed that dancing pros Carlos and Nancy Xu have fallen out behind the scenes, and have unfollowed one another on social media – and deleted posts of one another. The pair have yet to speak out about the reports. 

Strictly was dealt yet another blow with the very sad news that dancing pro Amy Dowden was forced to drop out of the show after suffering a stress fracture to her foot. The star, who missed the 2023 series while undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer, was partnered with JLS star JB Gill, who is now going ahead in the competition with Lauren Oakley. 

Speaking about her disappointment on social media, Amy wrote: “My heart is breaking right now. The past few months I finally felt like me again. Cancer was no longer the first thing I thought of when I woke up. It was choreography, music choices, which dances in which order, what we needed to work on. 

“I felt free again. My goal since hearing those words you have cancer was to get back on the strictly dance floor. It’s been such a challenge to get back, one I devoted 2024 too.”

Lauren replied to her post, reassuring her by writing: “This too shall pass. We’re still a team. Love you. You did the groundwork, I’ll carry your partnership forward and hopefully make you proud.”