The cast of Strictly Come Dancing 2024 will be announced next week amid the ongoing abuse scandal, according to new reports.
Bosses are hopeful the line-up release will ‘clean up its image’ and ensure the under-fire show will go on, despite the current drama.
Insiders have claimed ‘all celebrities’ signing up to the upcoming series have been ‘completely unaffected’ by the crisis.
The announcement could be part of the BBC‘s ‘rescue plan’ to save the ‘jewel in the crown‘ show from being axed.
According to The Mirror, a source said: ‘All the cast has signed up for this year. Despite reports of a struggle to get contestants, production has everyone now signed on the dotted line and they are really happy with the mix of celebs and can’t wait to get started.
The cast of Strictly Come Dancing 2024 will be announced next week amid the ongoing abuse scandal, according to new reports (hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly pictured)
Bosses are hopeful the line-up release will ‘clean up its image’ and ensure the under-fire show will go on , despite the current drama (Amanda Abbington pictured)
Insiders have claimed ‘all celebrities’ signing up to the upcoming series have been ‘completely unaffected’ by the crisis (2023 winners Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola pictured)
‘They decided as everyone was signed they should push the button and make it official sooner rather than later.
‘Once the line up is out, people will have more to discuss and with any luck the focus will be on the future and not what has happened in the past.’
Strictly bosses will be introducing chaperones during training and the appointment of two new welfare producers on the new series, in a bid to ‘toughen up’ their duty of care.
A statement from the corporation said: ‘Concerns that have arisen in recent months have been fundamentally about training and rehearsals. The actions we announce today are designed to address that.’
It comes just hours after Amanda Abbington appeared on Lorraine to shed light on her ‘awful’ Strictly experience with her partner Giovanni Pernice, following her bombshell Channel 4 interview.
Giovanni was suspended after Amanda accused him of abusive behaviour, saying he was ‘cruel and mean.’ He denies the claims.
It was followed by Graziano Di Prima’s sacking last month over reports he verbally and physically abused Zara McDermott during rehearsals.
He has apologised for kicking his former partner, but added other allegations do not align with ‘how he remembers it.’
The announcement could be part of the BBC’s ‘rescue plan’ to save the ‘jewel in the crown ‘ show from being axed (The professional dancers of 2024 pictured)
Strictly bosses will be introducing chaperones during training and the appointment of two new welfare producers on the new series, in a bid to ‘toughen up’ their duty of care (Zara McDermott and Graziano Di Prima pictured)
It comes just hours after Amanda Abbington appeared on Lorraine to shed light on her ‘awful’ Strictly experience with her partner Giovanni Pernice, following her Channel 4 interview
Giovanni was suspended after Amanda accused him of abusive behaviour, saying he was ‘cruel and mean.’ He denies the claims
It was followed by Graziano Di Prima’s sacking last month over reports he verbally and physically abused Zara McDermott during rehearsals
On Wednesday, it was revealed Nick Knowles, 61, has reportedly joined the line-up for the new series.
The show has also allegedly hired blind comedian Chris McCausland to appear on the series.
Alongside Nick and Chris, Dave Fishwick, 52, has also been named to appear in the line-up.
BBC chief Tim Davie vowed a tough approach to clean up Strictly as he apologised for the ‘mistreatment’ of contestants.
Mr Davie said he would keep changes to the way the programme is run ‘under review’ and promised: ‘We will never tolerate unacceptable behaviour of any kind.’
The BBC boss said he was ‘very sorry’ to anyone who ‘has had an experience on Strictly that hasn’t been wholly positive’ and vowed to ‘reflect on’ the complaints that have been made.
He said there will inevitably be ‘competitiveness, hard work and the will to do well’ on the show, ‘but there are limits and the line should never be crossed’. He added: ‘We will never tolerate unacceptable behaviour of any kind.’
Mr Davie said: ‘I need to be assured we have the right safeguarding and duty of care in place, and that is the first question I ask.
On Wednesday, it was revealed Nick Knowles, 61, has reportedly joined the line-up for the new series
The show has also allegedly hired blind comedian Chris McCausland to appear on the series
Alongside Nick and Chris, Dave Fishwick, 52, has also been named to appear in the line-up
‘I am assured by the robust actions we have taken in terms of the changes we have made … that we are in a position to deliver a very good season this year and that has been my focus.’
He continued: ‘With that assurance, I’m looking forward to the next season.’
During an interview which aired on Wednesday evening, Amanda compared the dance show to ‘the trenches’ telling Channel 4 News that BBC producers had been left ‘horrified’ by clips that also allegedly exhibited ‘humiliating behaviour of a sexual nature’.
She also claimed Giovanni has tried to stop her legal team from accessing the ’50 hours’ of video ‘evidence’ after producers were forced to put cameras in the dance studio after Amanda raised concerns.
‘There’s 50 hours of footage that’s being blocked. You know, 50 hours is a lot of footage, and a lot of time spent in a room that was toxic,’ she told presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy.
‘It’s out there. There is evidence out there of what happened in that room and I’m not the one who’s blocking it. I’ve said anyone can watch it, but he (Giovanni) doesn’t want anyone to see it, which is quite telling if he’s got nothing to hide.’
The actress said that cameras were installed into her and Giovanni’s rehearsal studio after she raised concerns after the first week of practice with producers wanting to review the footage each week to assess what was ‘going on’ between the pair.
Giovanni had claimed he had asked for the cameras, which Amanda says is untrue.
BBC chief Tim Davie vowed a tough approach to clean up Strictly as he apologised for the ‘mistreatment’ of contestants
‘So in the first week, I raised my concerns to the producers,’ the actress explained, as she fought back tears.
‘Giovanni said that he asked for the cameras, he didn’t ask for the cameras, I know that he didn’t ask for the cameras, because the producers came to me and said, ‘we’re going to put in cameras so we can view the footage at the end of the week and make an assessment and see what’s going on’.
‘And then every Friday, after the next sort of five weeks, I would get the producer saying, on the Friday, ‘we just watched the footage back, we are shocked and horrified, we’re so sorry’.
‘That was to my face on the Friday when we would go in and do the camera rehearsal.’
Throughout the interview, Guru-Murthy, who also starred on the 2023 series, asked whether it was correct that Amanda had experienced ‘humiliating behaviour of a sexual nature’, with the actress holding back tears as she nodded in agreement.
‘Yeah. I mean, you know, one of the many things,’ she said, clarifying it was not harassment.
