She was one of the lucky professionals to survive the mass removal of long-serving dancers from Strictly Come Dancing.
But Dianne Buswell was noticeably absent from the recording of one of the first group dances for this year’s series, the Daily Mail can reveal.
The long-standing Strictly pro caused fans concern at the taping this week as she was expected to take part.
The Australian star, 37, who gave birth to her first child with partner Joe Sugg in March, was due to perform a group dance with the rest of this year’s professional dancers.
Bosses had planned the exciting routine, which will air during the launch show, as a way to introduce the five new dancers to viewers.
An insider said: ‘It was really strange not having Dianne there.
Dianne Buswell was noticeably absent from the recording of the first group dance for this year’s series, the Daily Mail can reveal
The Australian star, 37, who gave birth to her first child with partner Joe Sugg in March, was due to perform a group dance with the rest of this year’s professional dancers
‘Producers planned the dance specifically to make a big fuss about the new arrivals and the new era of Strictly.
‘It was their very first group number together, which was quite spectacular and included big, flashy props.’
The mole continued: ‘Many questions were asked during the breaks about where Dianne was, but the crew would not say anything.’
Another show insider said: “Fans have nothing to worry about.”
They added: ‘Dianne has been busy rehearsing with all her fellow Pros over the past month and will be appearing in most of the group numbers in this series.’
A spokesperson for Strictly said: ‘As is standard on Strictly, not every Pro dancer appears in every group routine.’
Ms Buswell was back at rehearsals with her co-stars and previously told her 1.2 million Instagram followers how she would miss her son Bowden ‘so much’ while she was away.
The new series marks her ninth year on the show.
This is also, strictly speaking, where she met YouTube star Joe, 34, when he competed with her in 2018.
She returns alongside Katya Jones, Kai Widdrington, Aljaž Škorjanec, Lauren Oakley, Nancy Xu, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Alexis Warr, Julian Caillon and Vito Coppola.
The five new faces are Ukrainian Aleksandra Isaeva, Italian hunk Cristian Priori, South African Latin champion Lethabo Monametsi, Canadian dancer Mark Karmalita and British National Ballroom champion Maddie Ingoldsby.
Despite notable changes to this year’s series, the iconic and recognizable set was rebuilt earlier this month at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, where the dancers have been rehearsing.
This is exactly where Dianne met YouTube star Joe, 34, when he competed with her in 2018
Venezuelan dancer and Strictly’s longest-serving female pro, Karen Hauer, was axed by producers along with Michelle Tsiakkas, Nadiya Bychkova, Luba Mushtuk and Gorka Marquez.
Presenter Emma Willis, former dancer Johannes Radebe and comedian Josh Widdicombe take over hosting duties from Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, who resigned last year.
The celebrity line-up has been branded by fans as the ‘worst ever’ in Strictly’s 22-year history.
It consists of former Love Island star Dani Dyer, Australian singer Delta Goodrem, dog trainer Graeme ‘The Dogfather Hall’ YouTuber John Nellis and actress Jaime Winstone.
