Strictly Come Dancing professional dancers, AJ Pritchard and Kevin Clifton have announced their departure from the show.

Kevin Clifton accepted a starring role in Strictly Ballroom: The Musical and it is suspected we will be seeing AJ on our living room screens again soon trying his hand at presenting with his younger brother, Curtis.

Now I write, wishing the boys all the best of course, but also intrigued by some of the dancers who came before them.

Keep reading to see what successes some of my favourite ex-professionals have faced since leaving strictly and what they are up to now.

1. Jo Clifton

Age 36

Joanne Clifton left Strictly Come Dancing in June 2017, after three years as a professional dancer and one series win, in order to pursue her musical theatre career full-time.

Her and Ben Adams both went on to star in The Rocky Horror Show in 2019 and they are writing their own musical, Bloody Nora.

2. Pasha Kovalev

Age 40

Pasha Kovalev left in February 2019, after winning series 12 with Caroline Flack and two Sports Relief Strictly Come Dancing Specials with Chelsee Healey in 2012 and Hannah Cockroft in 2014.

3. Brendan Cole

Age 44

In 2018, BBC decided Brendan Cole should leave strictly, supposedly due to his tendency to talk back to the judges.

However, his voiced opinions continued in his weekly column on the new series of the BBC One dance show for HELLO! magazine online in 2018.

In October 2019, Cole took part in the first series of Celebrity X Factor. He then began a pantomime career, appearing in High Wycombe’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in December 2018 and Aladdin at the New Theatre in December 2019.

So it seems Brendan Cole has become quite the triple threat.

4. Robin Windsor

Age 40

Robin’s strictly career ended with series 11 in 2014. Following this, dancing remained a big part of his life.

He and Kristina Rihanoff were in a successful touring theatre production of 'Puttin' On The Ritz’ in 2015. They also took part in Donahey’s Dancing with The Stars Weekend in July 2015 at Beaumont Estate Hotel. He started his own branded Dance Lessons including Beginners Ballroom in March 2015 and Same Sex Ballroom Lessons in April 2015

Robin Windsor confirmed his retirement live on air during a taping of It Takes Two in 2018.

5. Flavia Cacace

Age 40

Flavia quit Strictly in 2012 after winning series 10 with Louis Smith.

Now this is an interesting one, whilst she still uses her skill as a dancer to help others learn through private tuition and workshops with her own company, ‘Dance with Flavia’,

she has largely left dancing behind and has instead become a member of the UK's Pet Industry Federation and obtained a formal qualification in professional dog grooming.