Strictly’s Pete Wicks and Jowita Przystal were seen leaving dance rehearsals with their chaperone after the BBC introduced new anti-bullying measures.
In wake of abuse claims made against Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima, show bosses announced that all rehearsals going forward would be overseen by a third party.
Pete, 36, and Strictly pro Jowita, 30, seemed to be getting along well with their chaperone, as they were all seen hugging on Wednesday following a 10-hour training session.
The TOWIE star looked exhausted as he left the dance studio ahead of the first live show on Saturday, that will see him dance a Paso Doble to Firestarter by The Prodigy.
He was casually clad in a black bomber jacket and trousers, weighed down by a large Louis Vuitton holdall and mini suitcase.
Strictly’s Jowita Przystal was seen leaving rehearsals with a chaperone on Tuesday after show bosses introduced tough ‘anti-bullying’ rules in wake of misconduct investigation
In wake of abuse claims made against dancers, show bosses announced that all rehearsals going forward would be overseen by a third party (Pete Wicks pictured leaving the studio)
Jowita also opted for black as she sported a light jacket and skintight leggings.
This year – the 20th anniversary of Strictly – has seen the show implement a raft of new ‘anti-bullying’ rules.
New measures were introduced after the BBC was forced to carry out a misconduct investigation when actress Amanda Abbington unexpectedly quit the show last October.
Months later, professional dancer Graziano was sacked after BBC staffers revealed they had seen footage of him ‘kicking’ celebrity partner Zara McDermott.
As a result, the BBC called in chaperones for the upcoming series to watch over the pairs – and now it has been revealed they are instructed to report anything untoward to a helpful.
A source told The Sun: ‘They’ve been told to log positive moments in rehearsals as well as anything that could be called into question.
‘However, it has been stressed that they should call the helpline immediately if anything bad happens to ensure that any wrongdoing is dealt with promptly.
‘It will also be protocol for the researchers to move between different training rooms so they don’t become too pally with the professional dancers and celebrities.’
Pete, 36, and Strictly pro Jowita, 30, seemed to be getting along well with their chaperone, as they were all seen hugging on Wednesday following a 10-hour training session
The TOWIE star looked exhausted as he left the dance studio ahead of the first live show on Saturday, that will see him dance a Paso Doble to Firestarter by The Prodigy
Jowita also opted for black as she sported a light jacket and skintight leggings
It was also revealed that the BBC will reportedly be clamping down on couples rehearsing outside of their capped training times.
Producers are bringing back a weekly cap on practice hours which means celebrities and their professional dancers can only do a maximum of around 48 hours a week.
The cap was reportedly introduced last year to create a level playing field between couples and averages out at around eight hours per day with Sunday’s off.
A source told The Sun: ‘The celebs have been told they have to stick to the cap.
‘They’re all incredibly competitive and desperate to do well.
‘But bosses want to make sure everyone gets a fair crack of the whip, so they’ve laid out the rules.’
Sherlock star Amanda, 50, has made a series of accusations about Giovanni’s teaching methods and has described his behaviour as ‘unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean’. He strongly denies all of the claims.
However other celebrities in the past have also previously complained about the gruelling schedule on the dance show.
New measures were introduced after the BBC carried out a misconduct investigation when Amanda Abbington quit the show last October (pictured with Giovanni Pernice)
Giovanni’s former partner Laura Whitmore, who appeared on the show in 2016, said she didn’t enjoy spending so much time with the Italian dancer
Giovanni’s former partner Laura Whitmore, who appeared on the show in 2016, said she didn’t enjoy spending so much time with the Italian dancer.
In a 2020 interview on Jamie Laing and Francis Boulle’s Private Parts podcast, Laura opened up again about the experience.
She said: ‘What I didn’t like was being removed from everybody and having to spend 12 hours a day with this one person.
‘I did not want to play the game of doing red carpets with your dance partner and stuff like that, which a lot of people thought you should be doing. I did not want to do that.’