Strictly Come Dancing launch thrown into chaos as top secret show pairings leak days before new series begins
STRICTLY Come Dancing’s launch night has been thrown into chaos after the show’s top secret pairings was leaked.
The 22nd series of the BBC show returns to our screens this Saturday evening.
The likes of Pete Wicks, Jamie Borthwick and Tasha Ghouri are going head to head in a bid to win the Glitterball trophy.
Fans are desperate to know who the celebrities will be dancing with this year.
And they have been able to find out days before the first instalment of the new series.
The pairings have been leaked online via the show spoiler account who leaks which famous face goes each week.
Many fans have taken to Reddit to share their thoughts.
One said: “Got 1 right so far .”
Another wrote: “Im convinced this year producers will hae put people with who they wantmore than other years.”
Last week The Sun revealed that pro dancer Aljaž Škorjanec, 34, is set to make a comeback on the BBC programme despite a ‘shocking’ bust-up with a female pro.
He starred on the show between 2013 and 2021.
The likes of Chris McCausland, JB Gill, Wynne Evans, Toyah Willcox, Dr Punam Krishan and Shayne Ward will also take part in the show.
Sarah Hadland, Tom Dean MBE, Montell Douglas aka Fire, Nick Knowles, Paul Merson and Sam Quek MBE are also in the line-up.
Strictly bosses have made a surprising U-turn on one of the strict show rule just days before Saturday night.
With booze and sex previously banned among castmembers, show insiders have revealed “the reins are off” and it’s going to be a free-for-all.
One told the Express: “There is a feeling in the camp that the celebrities just want to have fun this year and due to all the dramas of last year, show bosses and dancers aren’t putting pressure on celebrities and keep reiterating that it’s a fun show, and to just enjoy the ride.
“Pete Wicks is known for his wild partying ways and has already been rubbing off on the other celebrities.
“Once upon a time, stars would slap bans on booze and sex, but this year the reins are off.
“If there’s going to be a year where the stars end up partying – this is it.”
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”.
10th August: Graziano breaks his silence on his Strictly axe, saying “these vile, false allegations have ruined my life.”
He also told of the “shocking” end to his friendship with Zara McDermott.
We also revealed that Amanda Abbington was also quizzed for a second time as Strictly execs recruited 15 new staff to monitor rehearsals.
11th August: Just as the investigation was expected to conclude, Amanda made a dramatic intervention. Giovanni was on the brink of being cleared until Amanda handed in more text messages.
24th August: Graziano Di Prima called in top lawyers to sue the BBC and to try to clear his name. He recruited big hitters Whitestone Chambers to fight his corner.
A source said: “They’ve also looked at his BBC contract and believe there are grounds to sue.”
Meanwhile, the BBC also delayed releasing the findings of the probe into Giovanni Pernice. The Sun revealed that the results of the three-month investigation were unlikely to be announced in August.