judge is said to have found himself in hot water with the show’s bosses over recent comments he made about being on the judging panel on the new series.
Later this year, the BBC programme is set to return with a new batch of celebrity competitors and the familiar line-up of professional dancers, which will not include fan-favourites and after they quit the show.
There has been much speculation over whether Anton will join Craig, Motsi Mabuse and Shirley Ballas as a judge, having taken Bruno Tonioli’s place in 2021 as a result of Covid-19 travel restrictions.
While fans are yet to hear whether Bruno will finally be back following his time away, Craig recently claimed that , before both he and Shirley put forward the idea of there being .
A TV insider said: ‘When Anton wasn’t included on the announced line-up of Strictly pros, it was assumed he’d be back as a judge again. But the BBC said nothing was nailed on yet.’
They continued to : ‘Now Craig has blabbed the news and the Beeb aren’t happy – they hadn’t even told Bruno he was being replaced.’
Following the claims made by Craig that Anton could be back, Metro.co.uk was of the understanding that the judging line-up was yet to be decided by the BBC.
Anton made his first appearance as a temporary judge in 2020, when Motsi was forced to return home to Germany during the pandemic.
He then returned as a full-time judge in 2021, while Bruno remained in the US.
In an interview with The Sun from the weekend, Craig said of Anton: ‘I think last year he did a great job on Strictly as a judge. And we have just found out he is going to do it again this year.’
He later told The Mirror: ‘I hope Anton’s coming back because I think he’s really good but I’d love Bruno to be there, too, and I do think there’s a place for him.’
Meanwhile, Shirley previously said: ‘I hope Anton stays, but we could have five seats. I just did the tour with Bruno and he was on point and on form. There is nobody like Bruno. He is a force to be reckoned with!’
The BBC declined to comment when contacted by Metro.co.uk. A representative for Craig Revel Horwood has been contacted for comment.
Strictly Come Dancing will return to BBC One later this year.
