STRICTLY will have the fewest female celebrities in the show’s history — sparking fears the bullying scandal has put women off signing up. The Sun can reveal Gladiators star Fire — real name Montell Douglas, 38 — and Miranda actress Sarah Hadland, 53 , are the final stars to sign up for the BBC Saturday night dance contest. But while they bring the total number of women celebrity dancers on the show to six, there are nine men taking part .
That means 40 per cent of celebrities in this year’s show are women, while in most years it has been roughly a 50/50 split between the sexes. It comes in the wake of pro dancer Graziano di Prima being sacked for abusing partner Zara McDermott . Colleague Giovanni Pernice is also being investigated following similar complaints from his partner Amanda Abbington .
A TV insider said: “Looking at the figures, it’s hard to see how the ongoing controversy over bullying could not have affected the recruitment process for this year’s Strictly. “At no point in the show’s history has there been such a small proportion of women. "It probably wasn’t the landmark number they wanted, given the show is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
“The most serious claims of abuse and bullying have involved male pros and their treatment of female celebrity dance partners. “There were signs that there might be fewer women celebs taking part, one of which was the fact Graziano wasn’t replaced by another male pro on the show, but it�.