Top 20 Strictly Come Dancing Scandals

#20: John Sergeant’s Unlikely Success

There can’t be many contestants who’ve withdrawn from a show because they were worried about winning it – but that’s what journalist John Sergeant did in series six. Cruelly nicknamed “The Dancing Pig” due to his lack of talent, Sergeant was nevertheless spared several times by the voting public while more capable dancers were sent home. Eventually Sergeant voluntarily pulled out of the competition, saying the prospect of him winning was “a joke too far”. Afterwards, there were rumours the BBC considered changing its voting rules to prevent something similar happening again.

#19: Paul Burrell

His 2003 memoir “A Royal Duty” made the former footman to the Queen and butler to Princess Di persona non grata at Buckingham Palace – and also, apparently, at “Strictly Come Dancing”. Though you’ll have seen Burrell whimpering on “I’m a Celebrity” and in various Diana-centric documentaries, you won’t see him taking to the dancefloor because, as per some 2025 news reports, he’s supposedly been banned. This is because seeing Burrell would upset Queen Camilla, a fan of the show, too much, and the BBC doesn’t want to lose its regal viewer over featuring Burrell as a contestant. Camilla is also apparently close friends with Tess Daly.

#18: Will Bayley

During the watershed moment for “Strictly’s” treatment of its contestants throughout 2024 – which we’ll be talking about more later – one person recounting a particular incident of safeguarding-gone-wrong was Paralympian Will Bayley. Bayley, a table tennis gold medalist, appeared on “Strictly” in 2019, but during rehearsals he suffered a knee injury that was serious enough that he eventually withdrew. Appearing on “This Morning”, Bayley called out the production for not taking its duty of care seriously enough, especially given his additional needs because of his joint condition. The injury happened when he jumped from a table, despite telling producers he couldn’t. He said a medical expert should have been in the studio; he needed reconstructive knee surgery for his life-changing injury.

#17: Same-Sex Couples

In 2015, pressure began to build from the public who wanted “Strictly” to allow its contestants to have same-sex dance partners. The Beeb initially balked at the idea, claiming that it couldn’t have same-sex couples because it was a, quote, “family show”. In subsequent years, many international offshoots of “Strictly” began to feature same-sex couples, while multiple judges expressed public support for same-sex dancing. It took until 2020 for same-gender couples to finally appear, with subsequent years – minus 2024 – featuring at least one couple in the line-up. Celebs now have the option of a same-sex dance partner if they’d prefer.

#16: Thomas Skinner

There’s been a lot of backlash to the 2025 “Strictly” line up, as there often has been in recent years as the BBC stretches the definition of “celebrity” far beyond its limits. One such allegedly famous face is Thomas Skinner, whom fans of “The Apprentice” will recognise from series 15 back in 2019. Years prior, though, and Skinner was convicted of handling stolen goods and possession of thousands of diazepam tablets, a Class C substance. But in recent years he’s voiced his support for Donald Trump, saying that Trump’s second electoral victory is good for the UK economy, and was pictured hanging around with vice president JD Vance. Lots of people think that someone with such inflammatory views shouldn’t be on the BBC’s biggest show.

#15: Jamie Borthwick

“EastEnders” star Jamie Borthwick had already got “Strictly” some negative press after he was voted off surprisingly early given his stellar performance on a previous Christmas special; Borthwick’s fans weren’t happy with the public vote axing him. But the following year and Borthwick was entirely suspended from the BBC when certain comments he’d made surfaced. He used an ableist slur to describe the people of Blackpool while rehearsing at Blackpool Tower’s famous ballroom on the set of “Strictly”, with the story leaked by “The Sun” the following year. He apologised and said he didn’t understand the meaning of the word he used.

#14: Arlene Phillips Gets the Chop

Arlene Phillips had been a judge for five years on Strictly before she was surprisingly given the boot in 2009. The move prompted accusations of ageism against the BBC, especially when Arlene was replaced by previous winner Alesha Dixon – who’s 36 years younger. In response, the Beeb claimed it axed Arlene because she lacked a clear role on the judging panel, but many viewers were left sceptical. And the issue was even raised in the House of Commons, with equalities minister Harriet Harman calling the decision “absolutely shocking”.

#13: The Pay Gap

In 2014, Ola Jordan sparked controversy when she suggested the professional dancers on the show weren’t paid enough. Dancers work a full week and reportedly earn a minimum of £30,000 a year, yet their judging colleagues make five times as such for a single night’s effort. Bruno Tonioli once dismissed Jordan’s complaint in typically colourful fashion, reportedly saying: “If you don’t like it, stop moaning and fuck off.” Unsurprisingly, Bruno’s response hardly resolved the issue, and insiders claim that in 2018 the dancers were still unsatisfied, and were threatening to group together and strike.

#12: Allegations of Racism

When Anthony Ogogo was voted out in series thirteen, he didn’t go quietly. First, he implied the BBC was biased towards its own stars, claiming he’d known he wouldn’t go far because he wasn’t a “BBC face” – although he had also previously admitted that he couldn’t dance. More controversially though, he complained about being partnered with Oti Mabuse, saying he’d expected the show to “spread the minorities around”. Mabuse herself went further, alleging she’d been paired with Ogogo because the BBC didn’t want a black person to win.

#11: The Strictly Curse

Strictly has famously been responsible for the break-up of many contestants’ relationships in a phenomenon that has become widely known as the “Strictly curse”. From Rachel Riley’s pairing with Pasha Kovalev, to the series one rumours around Natasha Kaplinsky and Brendan Cole. Perhaps the most high-profile of these affairs occurred in 2013, though. After appearing in series eleven, former rugby player Ben Cohen split from wife Abby Blayney to begin a romance with dancer Kristina Rihanoff. Years later, though, and Ben and Kristina are still together, and welcomed their first child in 2016.

#10: The Drunken Kiss

The “Strictly curse” struck again in 2018 when comedian Seann Walsh and partner Katya Jones were filmed kissing on a night out. In the aftermath, Walsh was publicly dumped by his girlfriend Rebecca Humphries, and accused of aggressive and controlling behaviour. In another strand to the scandal, Katya’s husband Neil is also a pro-dancer on “Strictly”. The pair swiftly apologised but resisted suggestions that they should quit the show. And so, in one final scandalous twist, their next routine was reportedly changed from the rumba to a Charleston because it was “less sexy”… And, when they scored highly, some viewers alleged that they’d received preferential treatment from the judges.

#9: Anonymous Arrest

In late August 2025, stories emerged that a former “Strictly” star had been arrested on suspicion of serious sexual assaults and “non-consensual intimate image abuse” by the Metropolitan Police. The identity of the star has so far been kept under wraps, despite the Met and Hertfordshire police encouraging people to come forward if they have any information. All we know is that it was a man in his thirties, and isn’t believed to be connected to 2025’s series of the show. If the case goes to court their identity will probably be revealed, but for the time being, we have no idea which celebrity or professional dancer committed these alleged crimes.

#8: Anton Du Beke’s Racist Comments

In series seven, pro dancer Anton Du Beke sparked outrage after using racial slurs against actress Laila Rouass. When they first met, Anton reportedly asked Rouass if she was a terrorist, then later used racial slurs when speaking to her after she went for a spray tan. Du Beke claimed his comments were just backstage banter, but Rouass was rumoured to have been left in tears – although she later accepted Anton’s apology. Initially, host Bruce Forsyth stood up for Du Beke, saying the dancer has done nothing wrong, before subsequently having to backtrack on his comments, too.

#7: It’s All Fixed

After leaving Strictly in 2015, Ola Jordan also implied the show was rigged, saying some celebrities were regularly over- or under-scored by the judges. Unsurprisingly the BBC dismissed her claims, but other allegations of bias have surfaced over the years, with Jamelia once suggesting she only lost out to Peter Andre in a dance-off because the BBC staged a standing ovation for her opponent. Former dancer James Jordan also thought Andre received preferential treatment that year because he was frequently chosen to open or close the show.

#6: Doping Allegations

Professional dancing is a hugely competitive discipline, and performers are occasionally accused of taking illegal steps to give themselves an edge. It’s a scandal that not even “Strictly” could escape. As part of a Sunday Times investigation in 2016, a London doctor was filmed bragging about prescribing performance-enhancing drugs to over 100 professional athletes. Two Strictly dancers were included in that number, though neither their names nor the drugs concerned were ever revealed by Dr Bonar. Ultimately, the Sunday Times was unable to corroborate his allegations, so the BBC declined to comment due to lack of evidence.

#5: Wynne Evans

More controversies from the 2024 series, the following year, Wynne Evans – best known as Gio Compario – was sacked from the Strictly Live Tour after making some comments. It was initially claimed that he’d made an inappropriate sexual remark about a “spit roast” to professional dancer Janette Manrara, but months later, and Evans insisted that actually this was a nickname he had for his fellow cancelled contestant, Jamie Borthwick. He also got into hot water after allegedly groping dance partner Katya Jones live on air, though they both insisted it was a joke. He’s now supposedly planning to take the BBC to a tribunal over the saga, which has ruined his career.

#4: Substance Misuse

In 2025, it was revealed that “Strictly” was at the heart of a police investigation into substance misuse. An employee on the production alleges that he was offered a certain white powder by one of the show’s stars. The employee has since made a complaint to the BBC, which has now referred the matter to the police. The investigation is ongoing, but the BBC HAS said that it’s NOT going to make drugs testing mandatory during the production of the show, only potentially during the 2026 Strictly Live Tour. It’s also been alleged by sources talking to “The Sun” that more people have been involved and that the substance use is an “open secret” on the production.

#3: Skinny Jabs

Another scandal unique to the 2020s is that, ahead of the 2025 series, it’s been claimed that multiple celebs have been using weight loss jabs. According to the tabloids and their mysterious sources, at least five of that year’s roster are known to be using fat jabs like Ozempic, all to make them look slimmer in their skimpy ballroom outfits. Nobody’s named the celebs allegedly up to this, and the BBC itself has hit back at the claims, saying that they’re actually not aware of any stars taking these medications. It’s been pointed out, though, that anybody doing this might be putting themselves in danger, because they won’t get enough calories to support the gruelling training regimen “Strictly” puts its contestants through.

#2: Giovanni Pernice

The biggest scandal to rock “Strictly” in its entire history came in early 2024, when one of the previous year’s competitors, Amanda Abbington, made it public that she’d been trying to get footage of her training sessions with professional dancer Giovanni Pernice. Following these allegations from Abbington, which she discussed in a long interview, recounting the trauma of working with Pernice and his obsession with winning, Pernice spectacularly quit and went and joined the Italian version. There were also rumours that Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh had had unpleasant experiences with Pernice when he was their partner on the show.

#1: Graziano di Prima

As the situation with Pernice bubbled over, another professional dancer found themselves in the spotlight: Graziano di Prima. The BBC was conducting a wider investigation into the show and the behaviour of the pros when it found footage of various violent incidents between di Prima and TV personality Zara McDermott. Di Prima subsequently admitted that he HAD kicked Zara during their rehearsals, and said that he apologised at the time. Regardless, he was sacked by the BBC, with McDermott herself releasing a statement about the distressing training videos viewed by the BBC’s internal staff. From 2024 onwards, contestants were joined by “Strictly chaperones” to ensure everything was above board.

Let us know in the comments whether you think “Strictly” has a glittering future or has run its course.