Strictly Come Dancing star's four-word warning to pros
BBC Strictly Come Dancing will begin announcing the first celebrity contestants for the 2024 series on Monday, August 5 after a whirlwind of controversy recently engulfed the dance show.
Despite the BBC keeping quiet, ITV's This Morning spilled the beans on their official Instagram account on Sunday, hinting at what's in store for viewers on Monday's show.
Josie Gibson and Craig Doyle will be hosting the ITV programme, where they'll feature chef John Torode's take on a summer favourite, Nadine Baggott's top picks for supermarket beauty essentials, and also the big Strictly news. The post added: "And get ready as we exclusively reveal TWO celebrities joining Strictly!" reports WalesOnline.
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While fans are yet to receive any official word, whispers suggest the line-up may include DIY SOS presenter Nick Knowles, Love Island's Tasha Ghouri and ex-rugby ace Danny Cipriani.
Whether any stars will be unveiled before This Morning kicks off at 10am, or if the ITV show will have the honour of announcing the first duo, remains a mystery.
This news follows a spate of grievances from past participants, including actress Amanda Abbington who levelled accusations of bullying against professional dancer Giovanni Pernice during practice sessions.
Although the BBC star has constantly denied the claims made against him, with a spokesperson on his behalf saying: “He remains fully confident of clearing his name."
Appearing on ITV's Lorraine last month, host Christine Lampard asked if Amanda felt the word "bullying" was the best way to describe what happened in that room with her dance partner.
She replied: "Yeah, it was inappropriate, it was mean, it was nasty, it was bullying and I put up with it for five weeks.
"It started very early on and when it started to happen, I would shut down because I would recognise those red flags and so I would shut down and it would be different to get in."
Just weeks after Giovanni's departure, Graziano Di Prima found himself in the firing line as a result of a BBC probe into his interactions with contestant Zara McDermott.
In a recent announcement, the Beeb declared: "The BBC is today announcing additional steps to strengthen welfare and support on Strictly Come Dancing.
"Concerns that have arisen in recent months have been fundamentally about training and rehearsals. The actions we announce today are designed to address that."
Strictly Come Dancing is set to air later on this year.
This Morning continues weekdays on ITV from 10am
