Strictly Come Dancing star Kai Widdrington will reportedly miss the competition this year due to a lack of female partners. The star danced with Angela Rippon last year, who at 78 was the oldest contestant to ever take part in the show. But when the competition returns in September, Kai will reportedly only perform in group dances.

A source told The Sun: “Kai is the first casualty of this year’s predominantly male-dominated field. With so few female celebrities, it was inevitable that some of the pros would be absent, but for Kai to be one of them is a real blow.”

The source continued: “Bosses have to consider a number of factors when deciding which dancer will be paired with which celebrity. They consider everything from height to chemistry tests to see who works best together and that means Kai has come away empty-handed.”

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Kai, 29, who is also preparing for his solo tour in May, is said to be disappointed he cannot take part, while his fellow pros are baffled he was overlooked. A spokesperson for Strictly Come Dancing declined to comment.

Usually the celebrities are split 50/50, but word is that there are more men than women this year. The lack of female contestants is due to two separate investigations into bullying by male dancers last year.

Pairings for the 2024 series have not yet been announced, but celebrities who have confirmed their participation include pundit Paul Merson, TV presenter Nick Knowles, Only Way is Essex star Pete Wicks and Love Island contestant Tasha Ghouri.

It’s been a big year for Strictly, with Graziano Di Prima being fired over abuse allegations towards his dance partner Zara McDermott, and Giovanni Pernice is also being investigated following allegations made by Amanda Abbington, who left the competition early last year.

The BBC announced new measures for 2024: supervisors will be present at all sessions and a social worker will be available to both professional dancers and celebrities.

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For Kai, non-participation in the competition is the second blow this year, as he split up with co-star Nadiya Bychkova in June of this year.

The couple had been together since 2022 and in an exclusive interview with OK!, Kai raved about Nadiya.

Kai said: “I think I speak for most men in the UK when I say they would find Nadiya absolutely stunning – and I still have to pinch myself sometimes.”