A former Team GB star has reportedly signed up for new the series Strictly Come Dancing amid the ongoing ‘abuse’ scandal.
Sam Quek, 35, was part of the hockey team and won gold in the Rio Olympics, before becoming the first female captain on A Question of Sport.
According to The Sun, the TV presenter is ready to put on her dancing shoes and bring the glamour to the scandal hit BBC show.
A source said: ‘The show is really tapping into the buzz surrounding the Olympics this year, as well as heavily leaning into BBC talent – perhaps more than ever before.
‘But Sam has very much become a star in her own right in recent years, and has been carving out a niche as a presenter.
A former Team GB star has reportedly signed up for new the series Strictly Come Dancing amid the ongoing ‘abuse’ scandal
Sam Quek, 35, was part of the hockey team and won gold in the Rio Olympics , before becoming the first female captain on A Question of Sport
‘She’ll also bring some much-needed glamour to this year’s line-up.’
MailOnline has contacted representatives for Sam Quek for comment.
A Strictly Come Dancing spokesperson said: ‘The celebrity contestants for this series will be announced in due course.’
Sam is no stranger to reality TV having appeared on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here in 2016.
She become the ninth campmate to get voted off while Adam Thomas, Scarlett Moffatt and Joel Dommett made the final three.
After 22 days in camp, the brunette beauty just missed out on the grand final after failing to win over the public.
Speaking to Ant and Dec afterwards, she gushed: ‘I’m so nervous and so happy, I cant believe it. I never expected to get so far.
‘I’m shaking, I’m a bit emotional. Yesterday felt like the final, all of us were so tight.’
Talking about her amazing year, she said: ‘My Olympic gold medal was just the pinnacle, and to end 2016 like this, to being the top four was surreal.
‘I’m so humbled. Its when you sit back and think outside the jungle people are calling to vote for you, I cant comprehend it.
According to The Sun , the TV presenter is ready to put on her dancing shoes and bring the glamour to the scandal hit BBC show (pictured on A Question of Sport with Paddy McGuinness and Ugo Monye)
Sam i s aformer international hockey player who won over 120 caps at the highest level and took home an Olympic gold in Rio as part of the Great Britain team in 2016
Sam is no stranger to reality TV having appeared on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here in 2016 where she become the ninth campmate to get voted off
She added: ‘I came in here to keep hockey on the map, to inspire young boys and girls that sport is cool.’
It’s been previously reported that other names set to take part in the new series will include Nick Knowles, EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick and social media star Grace Keeling, known as GK Barry.
Also in the mix is Olympic swimmer Tom Dean who was part of the British relay team and won the gold in the 4×200 men’s freestyle at the Olympics in Paris on Tuesday.
Earlier this month it was revealed TOWIE star Pete Wicks has signed up, despite the news his close pal Zara McDermott was physically and verbally abused by her professional dance partner Graziano Di Prima last year.
Meanwhile ex Arsenal player Paul Merson and DIY SOS star Nick Knowles have also reportedly put on their dancing shoes.
The show was thrown into more crisis on Monday as backstage staff branded the scandal-plagued show ‘toxic and cruel’.
The BBC show has been engulfed by drama since Giovanni Pernice was suspended after his celebrity partner Amanda Abbington accused him of abusive behaviour, saying he was ‘cruel and mean.’ He denies the claims.
It was followed by Graziano’s sacking last month over reports he verbally and physically abused Zara during rehearsals.
Graziano Di Prima’s was sacked last month over reports he verbally and physically abused Zara McDermott during rehearsals. Graziano has apologised for kicking his former partner and added other allegations do not align with ‘how he remembers it’
The BBC show has been engulfed by drama since Giovanni Pernice was suspended after his celebrity partner Amanda Abbington accused him of abusive behaviour, saying he was ‘cruel and mean.’ He denies the claims
Graziano has apologised for kicking his former partner and added other allegations do not align with ‘how he remembers it.’
And now, according to The Observer, production workers at the hit dance series have alleged they were grilled on their ‘sex lives.’
One complained that ‘talented co-workers were treated with cruelty,’ while another added that the workplace environment on the show eight years ago was ‘tense, toxic, uncomfortable.’
One then told the publication how they had been subjected to ‘sexualised comments’ including queries about their sex life.
A spokesperson for the BBC told the publication: ‘The welfare of our crews working on each series of Strictly is always of paramount importance to us.
‘We act speedily when any concerns are raised, and we have thorough, effective and longstanding processes to manage them. We do not recognise the claims relating to a negative workplace culture.’
MailOnline has contacted the BBC for comment.
It comes just days after Strictly was plunged into further crisis after Amanda claimed that Giovanni was trying to block the release of up to 50 hours of ‘toxic’ footage’ following her bullying complaint to the BBC.
In an emotionally charged interview, the actress, 50, compared the dance show to ‘the trenches’ telling Channel 4 News that BBC producers had been left ‘horrified’ by clips that also allegedly exhibited ‘humiliating behaviour of a sexual nature’.
The Sherlock star sensationally quit the dance competition last year citing ‘personal reasons’ before reports surfaced that she had demanded footage of her rehearsals after the experience with the show and her dance partner left her with PTSD .
Giovanni, who has strongly denied any threatening or abusive behaviour, was later suspended, with the BBC later launching a probe over claims of off-camera misconduct made by Amanda as well as other celebrities .
Yet in a dramatic twist in the Strictly saga, the actress has claimed Giovanni tried to stop her legal team from accessing the video ‘evidence’ after producers were forced to put cameras in the dance studio after Amanda raised concerns.
‘There’s 50 hours of footage that’s being blocked. You know, 50 hours is a lot of footage, and a lot of time spent in a room that was toxic,’ she told presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy.
‘It’s out there. There is evidence out there of what happened in that room and I’m not the one who’s blocking it. I’ve said anyone can watch it, but he (Giovanni) doesn’t want anyone to see it, which is quite telling if he’s got nothing to hide.’
A spokesperson for Giovanni told MailOnline at the time: ‘We would urge people to wait for the review’s conclusion and not to pay heed to these very serious and defamatory allegations that have no evidence in support of them.’
