Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Katya Jones has reportedly received a telling off from the BBC after referring to the show while promoting an AI brand. The 37-year-old Russian dancer, who is partnered with YouTuber John Nellis for this series, shared a clip on Instagram to promote an AI-powered 'smart mirror' that offers personalised workouts.
Commercial partnership with Magic.fit
Jones's partnership with the company, Magic.fit, sees her create a dance programme to be 'Strictly trained in the comfort of your own home'. The collaboration post between Jones and the company shows her lying on a chaise longue before asking: 'Ever wondered what it's like to train with a Strictly professional?'
However, the BBC is understood to have stepped in because the advertisement included an explicit mention of the ballroom dancing show. The caption to the post has been edited since it was posted a day ago; Metro understands the BBC requested Jones make an edit to the video, as well as the accompanying social text.
BBC guidelines and response
It is also understood that the commercial partnership was previously declared to BBC Studios, which produces Strictly. A BBC Studios spokesperson told Metro: 'We have clear guidelines around Strictly talent's commercial activities while working with the BBC, and we regularly remind contributors of their obligations in this area.'
A source told The Sun that there are 'strict' rules around using the Strictly Come Dancing name to 'make money'. They added: 'The wording was pretty blatant. She was effectively selling people the chance to train with a Strictly professional, at exactly the time Strictly is back on television. She has been reminded of the rules and told she needs to be much more careful.'
Editorial guidelines and recent cases
The BBC's strict editorial guidelines state that promotional work involving licence fee-funded talent must not 'imitate, suggest a reference or connection to or pass off BBC content'. This includes 'replicating any editorial elements of a programme' and must not 'suggest BBC endorsement'.
Such rules were said to have recently landed Shirley Ballas in hot water, after an appearance on a Strictly Come Dancing-themed cruise. During the trip, which was run by MSC Cruises, elements of the Strictly live shows were said to have been so faithfully recreated that passengers felt they could have been watching an instalment of the BBC show.
Metro contacted Katya Jones's representative for comment on this story.
