Strictly Come Dancing's professional dancers have reunited for the first time as they began rehearsals for the 2024 series on Monday, July 22. The start of work on pro routines comes amid ongoing controversy over contestant treatment on the BBC One show.
Former contestant Will Bayley, a Paralympian, has claimed there was 'no duty of care' after suffering a serious knee injury during a jump from a table in rehearsals for the 2019 series. He said producers were told the move was too dangerous but encouraged him to do it anyway, and later made him feel it was his fault.
Bayley's comments follow concerns raised by Amanda Abbington and Zara McDermott. Abbington described professional Giovanni Pernice's behaviour as 'unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean'; Pernice denies the claims. Graziano Di Prima left the show after allegations regarding his treatment of McDermott.
On July 16, the BBC announced measures to strengthen welfare support, including a chaperone present at all times during training. Despite the headlines, the dancers appeared upbeat as they joined creative director Jason Gilkinson for the first day. Amy Dowden returned after missing the 2023 series due to breast cancer, while Aljaz Skorjanec rejoined after a two-year hiatus.
The Strictly Instagram account shared a group photo with the caption: 'Day one of #Strictly 2024 rehearsals done! We can’t wait to share our new pro routines with everyone soon @bbciplayer.' Dancers including Dianne Buswell, Karen Hauer, and Nikita Kuzmin posted their own messages of excitement.
