Strictly fans fear Dianne Buswell will quit the show (Image: BBC/Ray Burmiston)

Strictly Come Dancing fans are fearful that one of the winning professional dancers will walk away from the hit BBC show – after they previously teased they have ‘other ambitions’

Strictly Come Dancing fans are living in fear that Dianne Buswell will quit the show now that she’s won it.

The 35-year-old Australian dance professional has been a star performer on the long-running BBC reality competition since she joined the cast in 2017. This year, fans cheered on as she romped to victory alongside blind comedian Chris McCausland, 47 – with the pair triumphantly raising the Glitterball Trophy after winning the live final earlier this month.

It marked the first time Dianne had won the series – having been runner up last year alongside EastEnders star Bobby Brazier. She was also runner up in 2018 when she was partnered with YouTube star Joe Sugg, 33 – who she subsequently started dating.

Now that she’s scooped the Glitterball Trophy – and with plans for a non-Strictly tour next year – fans are convinced Dianne is preparing to hang up her sequin dresses and walk away from the BBC show after her dedicated years of service.

One fan wrote online: “I can see Dianne leaving, I don’t think she’ll be able to top this partnership and this series and plus she’s wanted to branch out into tv as well.” Another suggested she could change career, writing: “Could easily host a tv show of some description.”

A third fan typed: “I wouldn’t be surprised if Dianne left to focus either on other career developments or family.” And another wrote: “I can see Dianne is pulling the classic Camilla/Flavia/Aliona/Joanne/Oti of leaving right after winning.”

Earlier this year, Dianne shared her excitement at plans to tour with fellow Strictly star Vito Coppola in 2025. She told fans: “We are so, so excited to finally introduce you all to our brand new show DIANNE & VITO ‘Red Hot and Ready’ presented by Burn the Floor. We’ve been working on this project for such a long time and we cannot wait to share this special show with the whole of the UK in 2025!”

And at the beginning of this year she teased that she had been toying with the idea of becoming an actress. She told Heat Magazine: “It’ll be my eighth year of Strictly next year and I’ve been so lucky with all my partners. They’ve all brought something different, and you learn a lot from each person. But I have other ambitions, too.

“I’ve always wanted to dip into acting, so I’d like to try and explore that.” And after landing in second place with Bobby last year, she wrote online at the time: “I used to be so obsessed with winning a sparkly trophy constantly thinking about that moment and what it would feel like ! but what i have realised dancing with this wonderful human [Bobby] is that the win and the sparkle is everywhere if you want it to be… [His] only competition in this show was himself he wanted to become a better dancer and a better professional and to help him achieve both those goals makes me a proud teacher.”