A member of the Strictly Come Dancing production staff will be put in all future rehearsals following complaints about two former professional dancers during training, the BBC has announced.
It comes amid allegations about the teaching methods of professional dancer Giovanni Pernice, which he denies, and reports about the treatment of Zara McDermott while she was on the show.
The corporation has announced new measures due to “concerns that have arisen in recent months” that have been “about training and rehearsals”.
Support for the celebrities and dancers will also be increased with the addition of a celebrity welfare producer and a professional dancer welfare producer.
The production team and crew will also undergo further training.
Kate Phillips, BBC’s director of unscripted, said: “The decisive steps we have taken and are announced today, act to further strengthen the welfare and support in place for everyone involved with this production.”
The BBC has announced it will have a production team member present during training room rehearsals at all time, increase existing support with the addition of two new roles on the show dedicated to welfare support, and deliver further training for the production team and crew.
McDermott said she “wrestled with the fear of opening up” about her time on Strictly because she feared “public backlash” and “victim shaming”, following her former professional partner Graziano Di Prima’s exit from the show.
It was confirmed at the weekend that the Italian dancer is no longer part of the 2024 professional line-up and Di Prima has said his “intense passion and determination to win might have affected” his training regime.
Documentary maker McDermott, who was paired with Di Prima in the most recent series, said in a statement she feared the public’s response when talking about her time on the show amid allegations of verbal and physical abuse towards her.
It comes after it was confirmed Giovanni Pernice will not be part of the 2024 line-up of professionals amid allegations about his teaching methods, which he rejects.
Pernice previously said in a statement he is co-operating fully with an ongoing BBC investigation and that he looks “forward to clearing my name”.
