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Strictly in fresh scandal as former staff members ‘screamed at and insulted by dancers’ amid ‘toxic culture’

Some staff have spoken out anonymously

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Strictly Come Dancing is facing fresh scandal as some former staff members have spoken of an alleged “toxic culture” at the show.

As the famous faces taking to the dancefloor on this year’s Strictly Come Dancing continue to be announced this week, discussions about the show’s ‘bullying’ scandal continue to rumble on.

Celebrities such as Amanda Abbington, Zara McDermott and Will Bayley have spoken out on their experiences in recent weeks.

But now junior members of staff, such as runners and choreographers, are also allegedly claiming the show has a “toxic culture”. Fifteen current and former members of staff spoke to BBC News, with one person claiming stars “screamed at” them.

Amanda Abbington Giovanni Pernice
Amanda Abbington has been vocal about her experience on Strictly (Credit: BBC)

Strictly scandal latest

One former male member of staff, who was a runner on the show, said: “The whole culture was toxic, particularly for junior staff. It was bullying behaviour. I felt sick, and couldn’t sleep or eat.”

He described the alleged treatment he received from a male celebrity.

The former member of staff said: “He was shouting and he was so close up in my face, I had to close my eyes as his spit flecks were hitting me. The fact it was in front of everyone made me feel awful and helpless. People were stopping in the corridor to catch a glimpse of what was happening.”

He stated that the celebrity later apologised.

A female former TV package editor added to the BBC: “I think it’s awful for the celebrities who suffered, but I think for the crew it’s a much bigger problem. When you’re in the edit suite, you’re like a therapist. Crew would come in and tell me about their experiences.”

Zara McDermott Graziano Di Prima
Graziano Di Prima has left the show after his alleged treatment of Zara McDermott came to light (Credit: BBC)

New Strictly allegations

She claimed that she had heard of junior staff experiencing “verbal abuse” from dancers, which included “shouting, screaming and being insulted, to an extraordinary level”.

In addition, a male choreographer who worked on earlier seasons said producers would “get irate and shout at him if even the smallest thing went wrong”.

He added: “There’s a sense that you’re lucky to be on the show as it is one of the biggest in the UK, so you should put up with all the problems you might face”.

Meanwhile, some members of staff have defended the cast and crew at Strictly.

A female choreographer said she has “never ever seen any of what is being reported”. She also said she has “never had an issue with any dancers or staff”.

‘It’s Unacceptable Behaviour’: BBC Boss Breaks Silence On Strictly Scandal | This Morning

Elsewhere, a female beautician who has worked on the show for eight years said the bullying allegations “shocked” her.

She added that she was now “a bit apprehensive” about returning to work on the show.

BBC Studios has said it “does not recognise” the claims, “nor will hundreds of production personnel who have worked with us through multiple series and across the two decades the show has been on air”.

They added: “We act speedily when any issues are raised, and have thorough, effective, and longstanding processes to manage them. And we’re sorry if anyone didn’t feel able to talk about their experience on-set at the time.”

Read more: Strictly 2024 ‘to have fewer female celebrities for first time in history’ following ‘bullying’ scandal

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Rebecca Carter
Associate Editor (News)