Massive blow to Strictly Come Dancing as BBC show only signs 6 women amid bullying scandal
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’s still something of a shock to see.
“It means the odds are against a woman making it to the final stages of the competition.”
Graziano was immediately dismissed when video came to light last month of him kicking partner Zara in rehearsals last year.
Meanwhile, the investigation into Giovanni’s behaviour behind the scenes is nearing the end and the findings are expected to be released soon.
Despite not knowing the outcome, the BBC has pressed ahead and this week started formally revealing which stars were taking part in the show, which kicks off next month.
Yesterday, Welshman Wynne Evans — the opera singer, 52, best known from the Go Compare adverts — was revealed by the Beeb as the ninth man to sign up.
They then confirmed singer Toyah Willcox, 66, was also in the line-up alongside Dr Punam Krishan, 38, the medical expert on BBC One’s Morning Live.
The last time there were just six women on Strictly was in 2020, when the Covid pandemic meant there were just 12 people taking part.
But that still meant half the contestants were women.
Former Olympic sprinter and bobsleigh athlete Fire is one of the biggest stars of Gladiators, which was originally a hit on ITV in the 1990s before being rebooted last year on BBC One, with Bradley Walsh and son Barney hosting.
Strictly's Full Scandal So Far
Strictly Come Dancing's scandal has been growing over the past few months, with several major players speaking out about what went on. Here are the key moments of what's happened so far
16th May: Giovanni Pernice sensationally quits Strictly Come Dancing after nine years on the show.
17th May: Giovanni becomes the centre of an official investigation after three former partners – believed to be Amanda Abbington, Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh – make complaints to the BBC.
16th June: Giovanni releases an official statement vowing to clear his name and denies any wrongdoing.
8th July: Strictly confirms Aljaz Skorjanec will return to the series, replacing Giovanni, after initially quitting the show two years ago.
10th July: Amanda Abbington launches fresh legal proceedings to get the rehearsal footage from her time with Giovanni, after allegedly he refused to release the videos.
13th July: Graziano Di Prima is axed from Strictly for “gross misconduct” after footage of his treatment of Zara McDermott is brought to the attention of the BBC.
Graziano quickly broke his silence, apologising for his behaviour in a statement and saying he “deeply regrets it”, adding his “intense passion and determination to win might have affected his training regime.”
15th July: Strictly bosses implement new duty of care protocols, including having a chaperone present throughout all rehearsals.
16th July: Zara McDermott speaks out publicly for first time. She states while the production team were “amazing to work with”, she found the rehearsal room “completely different”, confirming there’s footage of “certain situations”.
19th July: Anton Du Beke is put under the spotlight for his “1970s attitude” and treatment of female celeb stars, particularly after allegedly referring to 2009 partner Laila Rouass as a “p***” after getting a spray tan.
21st July: Paralympian Will Bayley, who has limb condition arthrogryposis, revealed he was encouraged to leap from a table during a dance routine, despite fears. The stunt caused an injury that forced him to withdraw from the show.
22nd July: MasterChef’s Gregg Wallace admits he broke down in tears and got a nasty stress rash on his face during his time on Strictly in 2014.
22nd July: Despite ongoing issues, the Strictly professional cast begin rehearsals for this year’s series.
23rd July: Celebrity agent Melanie Blake claims she was sexually assaulted by an unnamed pro dancer while backstage on the show, and claims she witnessed ageism, rudeness and a rough treatment to the point of injury.
23rd July: Strictly is forced to beef up security after ‘an intruder scales the wall of the rehearsal studio’.
23rd July: BBC boss Tim Davie breaks his silence on the ongoing allegations against Strictly, saying he is ‘deeply sorry’, adding: “Hundreds of people, be they pros, contestants or crew have been part of it and had a brilliant experience.
“At the same time if someone thinks there was something wrong or they want to talk about their experience then of course we want them to raise that with us. Be in no doubt we will take it seriously, listen and deal with it as appropriate.”
24th July: Strictly 2023 star Krishnan Guru-Murthy holds a bombshell interview with Amanda Abbington on Channel 4 news, where she claims she was bullied, with some of the ‘humilation being of a sexual nature’.
27th July: Laura Whitmore releases a statement regarding her Strictly experience, saying “I thought my experience was specific to me but I’ve since learned I was wrong”.
She adds she is not part of the official complaint, but has come forward to support Amanda with the BBC, alongside others.
28th July: Laila Rouass speaks out against the accusations regarding Anton Du Beke, saying she “never felt pressured” by him and “personally insisted on six to seven hours training a day”.