Strictly Come Dancing host Tess Daly is ‘stressed about the future of the show’ as it is engulfed in an ongoing scandal. The long-running series is set to celebrate its 20 th anniversary later this year but has been rocked in recent weeks following allegations levelled against several professional dancers , and concerns raised about the treatment of contestants including Amanda Abbington and Zara McDermott . Sherlock actress Amanda , who quit Strictly last year after five weeks, has described her former dance partner Giovanni Pernice’s behaviour as ‘unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean’, however he has denied the claims and said he ‘looks forward’ to clearing his name.
Meanwhile Graziano Di Prima shockingly quit the programme earlier this month over allegations he ‘ kicked and hit ’ Love Island star Zara. Since then, the national broadcaster has introduced new measures to support celebrities’ welfare on the show, including chaperones, while BBC’s director general Tim Davie apologised to contestants who have had an experience that ‘hasn’t been wholly positive’ . Join Metro's Strictly community on WhatsApp Want to be the first to get all the latest news and rumours from the Strictly dancefloor? Join our Strictly Come Dancing WhatsApp channel to keep up to date with all the behind-the-scenes gossip about your favourite pros, judges and celebrities.
Simply click on this link , select ‘Join Chat’ and you’re in! Don't forget to turn on notifications so you can see when we've just dropped the latest spoilers. Keep dancing! Tess, 55, has co-hosted the show since its launch in 2004, doing so with Claudia Winkleman since 2014. However, she is now reportedly ‘terrified of the fallout’.
‘Tess has been getting very stressed about the future of the show, and she worries that this series could be the last because of all this controversy. This Graziano drama is the last thing they needed following on from Giovanni, and she’s not sure how much more Strictly can take,’ a source has said. ‘This is a show Tess has worked on for 20 years – it means so much to her, she hates that it’s being destroyed.
Obviously, she doesn’t see what goes on during rehearsals, but she’s always got on well with the professional dancers. She feels quite protective of them, but she knows the bosses must protect the contestants,’ they added when speaking to Heatworld . The source also said Tess is ‘anxious’ about how the scandal could impact her career.
‘If Strictly doesn’t survive this, Tess doesn’t know what she would do. She’s not like Claudia with lots of things on the go – she’s terrified what this fallout could mean. Strictly is her baby, and she’d be devastated if they cancelled it,’ they continued.
They also claimed Tess was ‘worried people are out to get Strictly’ but was confident the show could make it through the storm. More Trending BBC boss apologises for 'unacceptable behaviour' on Strictly James Jordan mocks ‘bullying’ complaint Strictly star made about wife Ola Jordan Strictly legend suffers devastating loss days before 2024 BBC series training begins Good Morning Britain star knows a fourth Strictly star left 'intimidated' by partner However, this all comes after it was reported Strictly’s pro dancers felt they were being ‘hung out to dry’ by their former partners. The Mirror reported that accusations were causing ‘untold stress and mental anguish’ for them.
Metro.co.uk has contacted the BBC and representatives for Tess Daly for comment.
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