Is Gleb Savchenko set for Dancing with the Stars return after Strictly exit?

Today the professional dancer and choreographer confirmed his exit from this year’s Strictly series citing “family commitments”.

“I thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the last series of Strictly Come Dancing and especially the way that the UK gave me such a warm welcome,” the Russian dancer said, having reached last year’s semi-finals with television presenter partner Anita Rani. He added that he’ll still be “tuning in” as a viewer instead.

But could Savchenko's Strictly exit actually make space in his calendar for a return to the American version of the show? While there's nothing concrete as yet, there have certainly been whispers from show insiders that this might just be his next step. After all, he is based in the US, which would make those family commitments easier to juggle with the demands of training up another hopeful celebrity contestant.

It wouldn’t be Savchenko’s first appearance on the ABC version either. As well as being part of professional group dances on the American series in the past, Savchenko was a full-time professional dancer in 2013 for the sixteenth series. He partnered Lisa Vanderpump of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills fame, with the duo finishing in tenth place.

It’s not uncommon for dancers to move between the various international versions of the show. Tristan MacManus and Artem Chigvintsev are among the professionals to have appeared in the ballroom both here and across the pond. Savchenko himself has also starred in the Australian and Russian editions, as well as in the US and UK.

And if he does make the move, it looks likely there will be a familiar face on the judging panel. Strictly's head judge Len Goodman returned for the 22nd season of DWTS earlier this year (he skipped season 21) and is expected to fill his calendar once again by juggling both the US and UK shows in the autumn.

If a Dancing with the Stars return were to be the case for Savchenko it would do little to cheer those Strictly fans sad to see him leave the BBC ballroom. But it will at least be good news for one person – his new US celebrity partner.

Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC1 later this year. DWTS will return to ABC in the fall.