‘Strictly Come Dancing’ contestants to be chaperoned after abuse allegations

By Issy Ronald, CNN

London (CNN) — “Strictly Come Dancing,” Britain’s version of the hit TV show “Dancing with the Stars,” announced that chaperones will accompany celebrities when training with their professional dance partners, after two of its dancers left following allegations of abuse.

The BBC, which produces the show, also announced in a statement Tuesday that it has created two new roles specifically “dedicated to welfare support” for the celebrities and dancers and it will “deliver further training for the production team and crew.”

These changes come after two dancers – Giovanni Pernice and Graziano di Prima – left the popular show following complaints from their celebrity partners about their training methods when rehearsing for each weekly episode, in which couples dance in front of a live studio audience and hope to avoid elimination via a public vote.

Actress Amanda Abbington, who partnered Pernice for the 2023 season last fall, told Britain’s Sunday Times newspaper that her appearance on “Strictly Come Dancing” and its aftermath has been the “worst experience … and horrible.”

“When I’m in a rehearsal room I make sure that it’s a nice place where everyone feels safe and feels like they’re having a nice time,” she said. “And that courtesy wasn’t extended to me.”

The BBC directed CNN to Tuesday’s statement when asked for a response to Abbington’s reported comments.

Abbington quit the show in October because of “personal reasons,” she said at the time. Top London law firm Carter-Ruck confirmed to CNN on Wednesday that it is representing her but declined to comment further.

Pernice has repeatedly denied Abbington’s allegations, calling them “false” and rejecting “any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour,” in two statements posted on Instagram.

“I am cooperating fully with the ongoing BBC investigation, which will determine the truth. As requested, I have stayed silent, but I am looking forward to the conclusion of the investigation and ultimately clearing my name,” he added.

During its 20-year run, the BBC show has become a British cultural touchstone, spawning a US version and routinely posting high ratings even as live TV has struggled to attract viewers.

But the crisis surrounding it deepened on Saturday when another professional dancer, Di Prima, was forced to leave the show over events he says “he deeply regrets.”

“My intense passion and determination to win might have affected my training regime,” he said on Instagram. “Respecting the BBC HR process, I understand it’s best for the show that I step away.”

As media reports emerged afterward that the BBC had uncovered videos of incidents involving reality star and TV host Zara McDermott, who was his partner last season, she released a statement on her Instagram story saying that those videos “are incredibly distressing to watch.”

“I have wrestled with the fear of opening up – I was scared about public backlash, I was scared about my future, I was scared of victim shaming,” she said in a statement that was widely reported by local media outlets. “But after a lot of conversations with those I love, I’ve gained the strength to face those fears, and when asked to speak to the BBC, I spoke candidly about my time on the show.”

The-CNN-Wire
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