He set pulses racing when he joined the Strictly line-up last year but after just one smoking season, Gleb Savchenko has quit the series.

The professional dancer will not be competing for the glitterball trophy with a celebrity partner when the new series returns to BBC One in the autumn.

Gleb is married to fellow dancer Elena Samodanova and has a young daughter.

He danced with Countryfile presenter Anita Rani in the 2015 series but the pair were knocked out in a dance-off by Katie Derham and her professional partner Anton du Beke before former The Wanted singer Jay McGuiness was eventually crowned the winner alongside his partner Aliona Vilani.

Gleb Savchenko and Anita Rani arrive at the Tower Ballroom in Blackpool
Gleb Savchenko and Anita Rani (Peter Byrne/PA)

The news of Gleb’s departure has devastated his legions of loyal fans.

Aliona and fellow professional dancers Ola Jordan and Kristina Rihanoff all announced at the end of the last series that they would not be returning to the show, which recently won a National Television Award and its first TV Bafta, while Tristan MacManus quit earlier this year.

They will be replaced by Katya Jones, a world champion, Ukrainian champion Oksana Platero and top Spanish dance professional Gorka Marquez, the BBC announced.

They will join returning dancers Du Beke, Brendan Cole, Kevin Clifton, Pasha Kovalev, Aljaz Skorjanec, Giovanni Pernice, Karen Clifton, Natalie Lowe, Joanne Clifton, Janette Manrara and Oti Mabuse.