Following ongoing reports of the Strictly Come Dancing scandal, Dancing With the Stars may implement tighter policies for safeguarding its cast and crew.
Strictly Come Dancing, a British dance competition show, debuted in 2004.
Dancing With the Stars, based on Strictly Come Dancing, began in the United States a year later. In addition to the U.S. version, Strictly led to the creation of many international versions of DWTS, all licensed by BBC Worldwide.
Deadline reported remarks made by a spokesman for BBC Studios indicating that “new measures being introduced in the UK” will contribute to the “ongoing dialogue” about international versions of the show.
According to the report, the U.S. version of DWTS already has strong safeguard processes in place.
However, Deadline reported that these discussions could potentially tighten current protocols for the U.S. dance competition show due to allegations against several fired Strictly Come Dancing dancers.
Fired Strictly Come Dancing dancer admitted to alleged incident
Several days ago, Strictly Come Dancing’s Graziano Di Prima admitted to allegations that he’d kicked his celebrity partner on the show, Love Island’s Zara McDermott.
“There is never a time when kicking, or any sense of that is right,” Mark Borkowski, a spokesman for Di Prima, told BBC News.
“He knows he’s made a mistake. He apologized at the time,” Borkowski said, adding that the Strictly Come Dancing training period can be “intense.”
While Di Prima believed the matter had been resolved previously, a video of the incident may have been brought to BBC Studios’ attention, leading to his firing.
Di Prima also posted a statement on his official Instagram about the incident and his “departure” from Strictly.
According to Digital Spy, McDermott shared an Instagram Story post reacting to news of Di Prima’s exit. While she called it a “childhood dream” and praised most of the cast and crew, she said her “experience inside the training room was very different.”
“Reports have been made about my treatment on the show and there were witnesses to some events, as well as videos of particular incidents which are incredibly distressing to watch,” she shared in her post.
McDermott also admitted she “wrestled with the fear of opening up” due to potential “backlash” or “victim shaming.”
“I’ve gained the strength to face these fears, and when I was asked to speak to the BBC, I spoke candidly about my time on the show,” McDermott said.
Di Prima first appeared as a Strictly Come Dancing dancer in Season 16, followed by Seasons 19 to 21.
After McDermott had released her statement about her experience on the show, BBC indicated they would police future rehearsals, bring dedicated welfare producers to the show, and offer more training for the production team and crew.
Di Prima is the second dancer to exit the show due to a partner’s allegations
Strictly Come Dancing’s Giovanni Pernice also had allegations made against him by a former partner regarding his treatment of her.
Last year, Sherlock actress Amanda Abbington quit the dance competition show midway through the season amid claims her dance partner was “abusive” toward her.
Along with the allegations, she revealed she was diagnosed with PTSD following her time on the show. Abbington is preparing to give a tell-all interview, which could provide more details about her situation.
According to UK’s The Mirror, Strictly Come Dancing revealed its professional dancers last month. Pernice was out of the lineup, suggesting he’d been dropped from the show.
Earlier this week, Pernice released a statement on his Instagram page about “untrue stories” about him that arrive weekly in the media.
Pernice also denied “suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour” and said he was “cooperating fully with the ongoing BBC investigation, which will determine the truth.”
“I look forward to clearing my name,” Pernice said.
Dancing With the Stars Season 33 premiere is TBA for ABC and Disney+.