Strictly Come Dancing will return to BBC One in Autumn 2018 for its sixteenth series and three brand new professional dancers will take to the Strictly dancefloor as they join the multi-award winning entertainment series made by BBC Studios.
The three new world-class dancers joining the show are Italian Latin Champion Graziano Di Prima, Professional South African Latin Champion Johannes Radebe and four-time winner of the Italian Dance Championship Luba Mushtuk.

All three dancers will join Strictly Come Dancing when the show returns later in the year bringing the total number of professional dancers to eighteen, promising the biggest and most hotly anticipated series to date.

Graziano Di Prima

Sicilian-born Graziano Di Prima, an Italian Latin Champion, has represented Belgium at the World Championships and made the top 24 at the Latin World Championships (under 21). For the past three years 24 year old Graziano has toured the world with the dance company Burn The Floor.

He says: “This is my dream come true! I still can’t believe I will be one of the professional dancers on Strictly Come Dancing. I can’t wait to give all of myself on the dance floor!”

Johannes Radebe

Johannes Radebe, 31, from South Africa is two-time Professional South African Latin Champion and three time South African Amateur Latin Champion. He is a dancer with the Afro Arimba Dance Company and has also been a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing South Africa for two seasons, both times reaching the final.

He says: “Joining Strictly Come Dancing is one of the greatest achievements of my dancing career. It is such an honour to be chosen to be a part of an incredible cast and be part of one of the biggest shows that is celebrated worldwide. I cannot wait to get started and experience the magic with the UK!”

Luba Mushtuk

Russian-born Luba Mushtuk is four-time winner of the Italian Dance Championship and Italian Open Latin Show Dance champion. She was ranked 2nd in the European 10 Dance Championships and was a finalist in the Latin European Championship. 28 year old Luba has worked extensively with Broadway and West End show Burn The Floor, was part of the Strictly Come Dancing Live tour and has performed on both Giovanni Pernice’s and Kevin and Karen Clifton’s tours. Luba joined Strictly Come Dancing in 2016 as an assistant choreographer contributing to a number of group routines.

She says: “Words cannot express how thrilled I am to do what I love most on the greatest show on earth! I am super excited and so thankful for this priceless opport unity. I can’t wait to get started as a professional dancer on Strictly... bring on the sparkle!”

The other professional dancers who will be returning to the Strictly ballroom once again are: AJ Pritchard, Aljaž Škorjanec, Amy Dowden, Anton Du Beke, Dianne Buswell, Giovanni Pernice, Gorka Marquez, Janette Manrara, Karen Clifton, Katya Jones, Kevin Clifton, Nadiya Bychkova, Neil Jones, Oti Mabuse and Pasha Kovalev.

Series one winner and 2017 Christmas Champion Brendan Cole will not be returning this year. Chloe Hewitt who joined in 2016 will also be leaving this series. The Strictly team would like to thank both of them for their considerable contribution to the show and wish them all the very best for the future.

Louise Rainbow, Executive Producer, Strictly Come Dancing, says: “This is the biggest line-up of pros that we’ve ever had on Strictly. We are so lucky to have such an array of talent. A huge thank you goes to Brendan from all of us for 15 amazing series of Strictly. We wish him all the very best with his future projects. We would also like to thank Chloe and wish her well.”

Kate Phillips, Controller, Entertainment Commissioning, says: “There is no other show quite like Strictly Come Dancing, and the last series proved that becoming the most popular Strictly to date. Our celebrity contestants this year are going to have to work harder than ever to keep up with our biggest and best professional dancer line-up yet, in what promises to be another dazzling and unforgettable series.”

Pictures of the new dancers are available from the BBC Pictures website.

Since Strictly Come Dancing launched on BBC One in the UK in 2004, the Entertainment Format - known internationally as Dancing with the Stars - has become a success story all around the world, the format has been licensed to over 55 countries by BBC Studios.