James Jordan weighs in on Karen Hauer’s brutal Strictly axe as he gives his verdict on the pro dancer shake-up and ‘unknown’ celebrity lineup

James Jordan has weighed in on Karen Hauer‘s brutal axing from Strictly Come Dancing after 14 years on the show.  

The Venezuelan dancer, 44, was among five professional dancers cut from the BBC show in March in what was branded a ‘bloodbath’ as part of a huge shake-up for the programme. 

And in an exclusive interview, former Strictly pro James, 48, remarked ‘get over it!’ as he dished his thoughts on the outrage that stemmed from her exit, claiming that Karen should be ‘happy’ she lasted as long as she did.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, James said: ‘What are my thoughts on that? Get over it! She wasn’t very positive about it initially, was she, from what I read in the papers. 

‘I always said in my first year on Strictly, take it for as long as it’s there, because there’s always going to be someone younger, fresher, newer. 

‘She should just be very happy that she managed to do 14 years on the show. That’s more than most people before they get asked to leave.’

In addition to Karen, Nadiya Bychkova, 37, Michelle Tsiakkas, 31, Luba Mushtuk, 36, and Gorka Márquez, 36, were also dropped from the programme, with five new pros later added to the line-up. 

The dancer, who himself departed Strictly in 2013 after eight years, went on to say that professional dancers coming and going is part of the ‘evolution’ of the long-running programme. 

‘The show will keep growing and keep moving on, and they will change the professional dancers. You just have to accept it for what it is,’ he explained.

James continued: ‘I still love watching the show. People think that I was upset that I didn’t go back to the show, but it was my time. It was my time to leave and let the younger ones come in and create some magic.’

The star’s words follow reported tensions between himself and Karen throughout their years on Strictly Come Dancing. 

Back in 2012, it was said the pair had a backstage clash when Karen criticised James’s choreography as ‘all jazz hands, teeth and no substance’ when she and then partner Nicky Byrne lost out to him and Denise Van Outen in the dance-off, prompting him to tell her to ‘keep your comments to yourself’.

A year later, Karen reportedly had a heated clash with his estranged wife Ola Jordan during rehearsals leaving the Polish dancer in tears, with Karen later issuing an apology.

More recently, James publicly blamed Karen’s choreography for actor Greg Wise’s elimination from the show in 2021, slamming their routine as ‘one of the worst sambas I’ve ever seen’.

But despite there seemingly being awkwardness between the pair in the past, James issued the Latin dance specialist some words of advice.

He shared: ‘You have to just accept that as you get older, or as you’ve done a certain length of time on the show, it will come to an end at some point. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Just remember how amazing the show was for you, how many doors it opened, so many amazing experiences – and look at it positively.’

James, who is a big fan of the show and watches every year with his daughter Ella, six, added that Strictly is a ‘juggernaut’ and no one person is bigger than it.

He also took the opportunity to praise the ‘unsung heroes’ that make the show possible, he said: ‘The makeup team, the costume department, the people working behind the scenes, the camera crew… it’s like a Swiss watch, and that’s because of those unsung heroes behind the cameras. They’re the ones you’d struggle to replace, because they know how the show works so well.’

Meanwhile, the Manopause podcast host gave his verdict on this year’s cast of celebrities, which was criticised by fans as a ‘weak’ line-up as they claimed there aren’t enough ‘household names’. 

Participants for 2026 include Kim Kardashian’s hair stylist Chris Appleton, sports YouTuber John Nellis and Love Island star Cach Mercer. 

Sharing his thoughts on the line-up, James remarked: ‘I am not a big watcher of TV. You’ve got people in there from EastEnders, you’ve got a hairdresser on there – I don’t know who most of these people are. 

‘The thing with Strictly is you could have 12 or 15 unknown people on there and you’re going to fall in love with them because of the way the show works. People often go, “oh, I don’t know any of the celebrities” It doesn’t matter. 

‘It’s like that most years now, and you end up falling in love with them. I normally fall in love with the ones I had no idea about, because they’re so entertaining for whatever particular reason. But like I said, it’s a juggernaut of a show and it’s going to be a great series no matter what.’

And while he is open to getting to know the new cast before passing judgment, the dancer did admit that if it were up to him, he’d sign up the calibre of stars who took part in the show during his heyday, including actors and sports people such as cricketers and rugby players.

He added: ‘I do feel it’s become a little bit different now to what it used to be, a lot more unknown people than perhaps there were before. But like I said, it always still works out to be a fantastic show.’

This year’s line-up also includes Lacey Turner, Dani Dyer, Delta Goodrem, Will Best, Dame Sarah Storey, Jaime Winstone, Bethany Antonia, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Graeme ‘The Dogfather’ Hall, Lawrence Robb, Tabby Stoecker and Melanie Walters. 

While the judges remain the same, the hosts have changed amid Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman’s exits, with Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe announced as their replacements. 

James was speaking on behalf of WhichBingo. 

Strictly Come Dancing airs Saturdays on BBC One and iPlayer, followed by the results show on Sundays.