Strictly Come Dancing Faces Talent Struggles Amid Scandals

After a string of scandals which saw professional dancer Graziano di Prima and Wynne Evans sacked by the BBC, sources have said Strictly bosses were ‘struggling’ to sign talent.

The stars signed up to appear on the upcoming series further voiced their surprise at how quickly they were signed up considering it was many of their first times being asked.

Vicky Pattison, who found fame on the reality show Geordie Shore, said: ‘I’ve never been asked before and I’ve always wanted to be.

‘So I went down there to meet them because I thought, if I get my foot in the door next year or the year after I would get to do it, I was expecting it to have a long tail.’

Dani Dyer, 29, the daughter of the Hollywood star and EastEnders actor Danny Dyer, also told the Mail of her ‘shock’ at being accepted onto the show so easily.

It can be revealed that BBC bosses were going to new lengths to sign talent as just three out of the 15 contestants had been asked to do the show before.

A source close to the show confirmed to the Mail: ‘Yes, the Beeb had to expand their roster as they were struggling to get talent to sign up for a variety of mitigating circumstances.’

A Strictly spokesperson said: ‘There was absolutely no difference to the casting process this year, both in timescale and the great mix of names wanting to take part.’ 

Alex Kingston, the theatre actress, also told this newspaper for a long time there was a ‘stigma’ around Strictly as it was not considered a serious signing for actors.

The 62-year-old revealed: ‘I’ve been asked to do it the past but my agent always said no because, I think, for a long time there has been a sort of stigma around Strictly.

‘If you’re a theatre actor, theatre actors don’t participate, which is silly. Just because I do Shakespeare, you know, Shakespeare wrote plays for the populists, he didn’t write for a certain level of society.’

The past two series have seen the show rocked by scandal which began with the actress Amanda Abbington accusing her dance partner, Giovanni Pernice, of being ‘unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean’ during their rehearsals.

The former professional, 35, strongly denies her claims.

The same year, Graziano di Prima was sacked by the BBC after a video emerged of him kicking dance partner, the Love Island star Zara McDermott during a rehearsal.

The Welsh opera singer, Wynne Evans, was axed from his BBC Wales breakfast show after using ‘inappropriate language’ during his stint on Strictly Come Dancing.

It comes after the Strictly Come Dancing celebrities dazzled in their finest sequinned looks as they posed together for the first time on Saturday ahead of making their glitterball debut.

With the series launch just days away, the 15 celebrities slipped into an array of brightly coloured outfits as they posed up a storm to get fans excited for the big return.

In the official 2025 line-up photo, the ladies commanded attention in eye-catching dresses, while the gentlemen looked strapping in an array of white, blue and pink suits.

Thomas Skinner brushed off his recent meltdown as he posed with the celebs for the group shot.

The former Apprentice star, 34, left journalists shocked on Tuesday when he abruptly left a press call after snatching a reporter’s phone.

Addressing the scandal himself, Thomas took to Instagram on Wednesday to share a statement in which he apologised to the journalist and admitted he was working to ‘move past difficult moments in his past’.

The Daily Mail also told how the BBC was standing by Thomas and he would remain on the show, which launches on September 20.

Elsewhere, Strictly Come Dancing has been plunged into chaos after the show’s secret pairings were leaked online.

BBC bosses had gone to great lengths to keep the pairs under wraps ahead of next weekend’s big launch, where 15 celebrities will go head-to-head for the glitterball trophy.

But the tightly guarded secret didn’t last long, as the 2025 celebrity-pro pairings appeared online – with fans already buzzing over the line-up.

The Daily Mail has chosen not to share the leaked pairings to avoid spoiling the surprise for viewers.