A LACK of female contestants in the next series of Strictly Come Dancing means some of the most popular male dancers have been benched — including Kai Widdrington.
The fan favourite, 29, who was partnered with broadcaster Angela Rippon in the last series, will not be paired with a celebrity this year.
This year’s Strictly line-up has the fewest female celebrities in the show’s history, with just six women up against nine men.
It is a second blow for Kai after his split from fellow pro dancer Nadiya Bychkova in June.
A source said: “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.”
Kai, who is also preparing for his solo tour in May, is said to be gutted he is not taking part, while his fellow pros are baffled that he has been overlooked.
In previous years there has been roughly a 50/50 split between the sexes.
The male bias this year has sparked fears that the show’s bullying scandal has put off women from signing up.
The pressure is on the BBC to deliver successful pairings after accusations against Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima threw a spotlight on training regimes.
Graziano was sacked over allegations of abuse against Made in Chelsea star Zara McDermott.
Colleague Giovanni Pernice is being investigated following similar complaints from his Sherlock actress partner Amanda Abbington.
As part of new measures, chaperones will be present during all sessions and a welfare officer will be available to both professional dancers and celebrities.
The source added: “The BBC can’t risk anything other than a perfect 10 when it comes to the relationships between celebs and pros this year.
“That means changes can be made if early training shows a pair haven’t got off on the right foot.
He had a great run last series with Angela and is a fan favourite
Sun source
“Some of the official partner reveals have been filmed already ahead of the first show on September 21 but it’s not too late to go back to the drawing board.”
A BBC spokesman said: “The Strictly Come Dancing celebrity contestant and professional dancer pairings will be announced, as usual, in the launch show airing in the autumn and on the official Strictly channels.”
Pairings have not yet been revealed for the 2024 series but celebrities confirmed to take part include pundit Paul Merson, TV presenter Nick Knowles, Only Way is Essex star Pete Wicks and Love Island contestant Tasha Ghouri.
