The BBC introduced chaperones on the hit dance show *Strictly Come Dancing* following complaints made against professional dancers Giovanni Pernice and Graziano di Prima during rehearsals. However, these chaperones—employed to keep a watchful eye over training sessions—are now reportedly interfering with the flow of the action.
Several celebrities competing in this year’s series have voiced concerns that the chaperones, introduced under the corporation’s new duty of care measures ahead of the 2024 season, are making learning more difficult. Sources close to the show revealed to *The Mail on Sunday* that, in some cases, the measures have gone “over the top.”
One insider shared, “The chaperones have started to become a bit of a nightmare. It’s making training harder and less enjoyable because there are lots of stops and starts. Nobody wants a repeat of Graziano kicking Zara McDermott, but some of the situations are a bit over the top. The chaperones are logging things that really don’t need to be. It’s like it has gone from one extreme to the other.”
The source added, “Some celebrities just want to crack on, get on with it, and learn to dance. It has all got a bit too much. Just because there were some unfortunate incidents, it doesn’t mean everyone should have to put up with it.”
Another veteran of *Strictly* revealed, “Things are just not the same anymore. There is a lot more walking on eggshells. The chances of the ‘Strictly curse’—where contestants develop romantic feelings despite being in relationships—have also lessened because there is a chaperone hanging around. The training sessions are no longer the intimate surroundings they were, which is a shame.”
Chaperoning has become a hot topic among this year’s 15 celebrity contestants and professionals alike, with many questioning the necessity of the role.
Despite the criticism, a BBC source defended the chaperones—who are part of the *Strictly* production team—explaining that the frequent stopping and starting is also partly due to their effort to capture moments for pre-recorded segments of the show.
In July 2024, the BBC announced that chaperones would attend all rehearsals after complaints about the behaviour of Giovanni Pernice, who denied bullying his former partner Amanda Abbington, and Graziano di Prima. Additionally, the show appointed “welfare producers” to stamp out inappropriate behaviour.
While Pernice was cleared of 11 out of 17 allegations made by *Sherlock* star Abbington, he did not return to the show. Similarly, di Prima left the series after an incident in which he kicked ex-*Love Island* star Zara McDermott during training and then stormed off.
Both Pernice and Abbington had recorded their own rehearsals before the BBC took over this task as tensions increased.
A *Strictly* spokesman declined to comment on these developments yesterday.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-15163019/Strictly-Come-Dancing-chaperones-ruining-rehearsals-scandal.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
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