With only six women rumoured to be in its line-up, the 22nd season of Strictly Come Dancing has reportedly marked a sad first in the show's history as it will include the fewest female stars. Gladiators star Montell Douglas aka Fire and Miranda actress Sarah Hadland were the latest celebrities tipped to have signed up for the BBC One competition in another alleged official list said to have been leaked before the official announcements were to be finalised. If their participations are confirmed, Montell, 38, and Sarah, 53, would bring the total number of female celebrity dancers on the programme to six, while nine men are said to be taking part in the series set to premiere later this year.
While the full line-up has yet to be confirmed, one insider has suggested that the abuse allegations targeting both professional dancers Graziano Di Prima and Giovanni Pernice have had an impact on the recruitment for Strictly 2024. The source told The Sun : "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.
" Strictly Come Dancing bosses have pulled out all the stops for the programme's 20th anniversary but as Graziano was sacked and Giovanni faces an internal probe, the bullying crisis at the Beeb has considerably overshadowed the festivities. "It probably wasn’t the landmark number they wanted.