‘This is a major thorn in Strictly’s side’ says PR guru of fresh drama following Graziano shock exit

ok.co.uk:

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Strictly Come Dancing - a massively popular fixture on Saturday night TV schedules since 2004 which has consistently achieved high ratings.

However, this year the hit BBC show has been somewhat overshadowed by a series of controversies, involving the behaviour and conduct on the show of certain dancers, leading to calls for it to be axed.The controversy began last month when the BBC announced an investigation into professional dancer Giovanni Pernice and his alleged conduct towards his 2023 partner, Amanda Abbingdon.

As a result, Gio will not be part of this year's lineup and the outcome of the investigation is still pending. Viewers have been left reeling today after the announcement that Scillian Strictly pro dancer, Graziano Di Prima has had his contract terminated due to allegations of misconduct towards his partner Zara McDermott in the 2023 series.The pair who were eliminated in week 6, he later acknowledged in an Instagram message that his intense passion and determination to win may have impacted his training regime, but it was production staff who raised concerns, not his partner Zara.

Regardless of the outcome of the Giovanni Pernice investigation, these incidents have created significant problems for the show this year.