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Is Strictly facing a major crisis? The nation’s most most wholesome Saturday night show is struggling to sign up female celebs as a THIRD pro is named in misconduct probe amid claims of a ‘sordid cover up’ 24 comments + 7 View gallery 11:09 GMT 17 Jul 2024, updated 12:05 GMT 17 Jul 2024 By Joanna Crawley For Mailonline It’s been the jewel in the BBC’s crown for two decades, and this year was meant to even more sparkly for Strictly Come Dancing as it celebrates its 20th anniversary. Advertisement But the razzamatazz has well and truly fizzled out of the flagship Saturday night show as the bombshell claims of misconduct behind the scenes keep on coming. On Tuesday night it was revealed that a third professional dancer on the show has been named as a ‘person of interest’ in the wake of the abuse and bullying allegations. symbol 00:00 02:24 Read More Graziano Di Prima, 30, was axed from the show last week over reports he verbally and physically abused his celebrity partner Zara McDermott, 27, during last year’s series. It came just weeks after Giovanni Pernice, 33, was suspended while a BBC probe is conducted over claims of off-camera misconduct made by Amanda Abbington, 50, and two other former celeb partners. So is the nation’s most most wholesome Saturday night show at crisis point? It’s been the jewel in the BBC’s crown for two decades but the razzamatazz has well and truly fizzled out of Strictly Come Dancing (Pictured: The 2023 winners Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola) + 7 View gallery It’s been the jewel in the BBC’s crown for two decades but the razzamatazz has well and truly fizzled out of Strictly Come Dancing (Pictured: The 2023 winners Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola) Graziano Di Prima , 30, was axed from the show last week over reports he verbally and physically abused his celebrity partner Zara McDermott , 27, during last year’s series + 7 View gallery Graziano Di Prima , 30, was axed from the show last week over reports he verbally and physically abused his celebrity partner Zara McDermott , 27, during last year’s series TRENDING Mel B’s nightmare week as she ‘loses bid’ over defamation case 614 viewing now Charles battles for monarchy, William the underdog and Harry? Himself 4.3k viewing now Saturday Kitchen guest has no regrets over ‘inappropriate’ outfit 855 viewing now BBC executives sacked Graziano after members of production presented bosses with video of the pro dancer ‘hitting and kicking’ Love Island star Zara during training last Autumn. But there have been accusations of a massive cover-up by the BBC over claims crew members complained about Graziano’s behaviour during the series but no action was taken. When a group of Strictly production staff witnessed the way Graziano treated Zara in last year’s series, they reported their concerns to their superiors. But, instead of sacking him, senior execs ignored their worries and have Graziano ‘quiet warnings’. It was only when staff backed up their allegations with video evidence last week – including a clip of Graziano hitting Zara – that bosses were galvanised into action and sacked him. But this was nine months after they had first raised the alarm. One BBC insider told the Mail’s Katie Hind: ‘There is absolutely no doubt that those very high up on Strictly, and wider at the BBC, knew about Graziano’s behaviour – but they allowed him still to appear on screen.’ Read More AMANDA PLATELL: More heads must roll on Strictly over what seems to be a sordid cover-up article image The BBC’s official response was: ‘While we would never comment on individual cases, it is well known that the BBC has established robust duty of care procedures and if issues are raised we will always take them seriously and act swiftly as appropriate.’ But Strictly sources told the Mail they believe there was a ‘cover-up’ of Graziano’s behaviour, which ‘bosses hoped would save fan-favourite Di Prima from being ousted’. Advertisement Zara herself admitted in her statement shared on Tuesday that she was too worried about coming forward to complain about Graziano’s behaviour, in a sign that she too didn’t want to tarnish the show’s wholesome reputation as well as her own career prospects. It came just weeks after Giovanni Pernice , 33, was suspended while a BBC probe is conducted over claims of off-camera misconduct made by Amanda Abbington, 50 + 7 View gallery It came just weeks after Giovanni Pernice , 33, was suspended while a BBC probe is conducted over claims of off-camera misconduct made by Amanda Abbington, 50 There have been accusations of a massive cover-up by the BBC over claims crew members complained about Graziano’s behaviour during the series + 7 View gallery There have been accusations of a massive cover-up by the BBC over claims crew members complained about Graziano’s behaviour during the series Read More ‘THIRD Strictly pro named as a person of interest amid show probe’ article image ‘I have wrested with the fear of opening up – I was scared about public backlash, I was scared about my future, I was scared of victim shaming,’ Zara wrote on Instagram. With news this week that a third professional dancer – who is no longer on the show – is also part of the probe into the BBC series, insiders have told The Sun that it is ‘becoming clear is that there appears to be a more widespread issue over the conduct of some of the professionals in training.’ ‘The more people who come forward, the clearer the picture is becoming.’ And all this is threatening the show’s major 20th anniversary series. By now Stefania Aleksander, the show’s long-serving booker, has usually signed up at least six celebrities, whose names inevitably find their way into the public domain. This time last year – Zara, Angela Rippon and Angela Scanlon had already signed up for the show. Finalist Layton Williams had also agreed to appear and Les Dennis was on the verge of doing so, with all of those names leaked to the public. This time round though there has been no leaks suggesting a crisis at the earliest stage of the series. Zara herself admitted in her statement shared on Tuesday that she was too worried about coming forward to complain about Graziano’s behaviour + 7 View gallery Zara herself admitted in her statement shared on Tuesday that she was too worried about coming forward to complain about Graziano’s behaviour Executives at the BBC are said to be ‘deeply worried’ that the fans will stop watching as scandal continues to surround their their flagship show + 7 View gallery Executives at the BBC are said to be ‘deeply worried’ that the fans will stop watching as scandal continues to surround their their flagship show Read More EXCLUSIVE Strictly in crisis as show struggles to sign up female stars, reveals KATIE HIND article image Insiders at the Corporation say they are having problems recruiting female celebs in particular, especially high-profile ones. ‘Usually it is the women who are more keen,’ says a television executive connected to the series. ‘Not only is it an opportunity to get dressed up but appearing on Strictly is also much more fortuitous for females’ careers than men’s. Advertisement ‘But word has got around that it isn’t exactly a walk in the park, so getting them has a been a lot more challenging.’ The show, according to inside sources, is in ‘meltdown’ and the upper echelons of both Strictly and the wider BBC have been locked in meetings over the weekend as they attempt to work out how they can survive the scandal. One said: ‘There have been many conversations about how this is dealt with but the immediate problem is this year’s cast… There has been lots of swearing and frustration.’ Executives at the BBC are said to be ‘deeply worried’ that the fans will stop watching as scandal continues to surround their their flagship show. Advertisement ‘The last nine months have been a disaster,’ says a well-informed source. ‘With no idea where it is going to end, the anxiety amongst the upper echelons of the BBC is through the roof.’ 26 shares 24 comments Recommended by Do You Know How Much Do Nurses Get Paid in the USA? 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