Strictly pro breaks silence on new duty of care policy as scandal-hit BBC show gears up for new series
STRICTLY Come Dancing pro Michelle Tsiakkas has broken her silence on the show’s new duty of care policy after being hit by a string of scandals.
The BBC announced last month brand new measures to protect the celebrity contestants and pro dancers after a slew of scandals behind the scenes of the dance contest emerged.
Giovanni Pernice is subject to an internal investigation by the BBC after being accused of leaving Amanda Abbington with PTSD following their partnership as part of her current case against him.
Elsewhere, Graziano Di Prima was sensationally axed from the series after bombshell evidence was uncovered which showed him kicking pro partner, Love Island star Zara McDermott.
Since then, a series of other claims have sent ripples through the Saturday night entertainment series.
The BBC has since confirmed that chaperones will be in place to protect both the pro’s and the celebrity stars during their time on the show.
Rehearsals for the new series have already gotten underway with the pro’s putting on brave faces.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun at the National Reality TV Awards, show pro Michelle admitted that the atmosphere on set has been positive despite being riddled with scandals.
Michelle said: “We’re being shown a lot of care at the moment.
“In my experience, it’s always been this way.
“It’s always been a happy show inside and outside. So, yeah, we’re just continuing this way.
“And we are a happy bunch and we’re having so much fun at the moment. So, yeah, we’re really enjoying everything.”
Michelle, who has yet to be partnered with a celeb on the contest, admitted she was keeping her “fingers crossed” that this would be the year that she finally lands a bigger role on the show.
It had previously been reported that the Beeb were now no longer afraid of replacing long-standing pro’s amid the current scandals with Michelle now standing a good chance to finally have her moment in the spotlight.
The dancer added to The Sun when asked if this could be her year: “None of us know yet, fingers crossed!
“We actually have no clue about the [celebrity] line-up.
“They really keep it secret, even from us. So, we’re excited to know as well.”
As part of the BBC’s new measures, The Sun told of the new “duty of care package” that was to be introduced.
Measures include on-call counsellors, cameras to film training, the offer of post-show therapy and the provision of chaperones if requested.
Psychological testing will also be implemented to ensure stars are “robust” enough to cope with the constant media and online scrutiny.
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”.
Earlier this year the BBC appointed a Duty of Care Executive.
Training, masterclasses and webinars will be held throughout the year for all non-scripted shows.