Strictly Come Dancing legends mock 'chaperone' rules in video amid 'abuse' scandal
Former Strictly Come Dancing pros have mocked the newly implemented 'chaperone' rules on the BBC show, following accusations of bullying during rehearsals. Ahead of the new series, which kicks off on Saturday, 14 September, a group of ex-Strictly stars have shared a video on social media, where they can be seen joking about the introduction of chaperones in rehearsals.
James Jordan, Brendan Cole, Vincent Simone, and Ian Waite all featured in the clip, which was taken during rehearsals for the group's upcoming tour, titled Legends of The Dance Floor. Fellow former Strictly star Pasha Kovalev is also taking part in the tour, but it is unclear if he was in attendance at the rehearsal in the clip. James and Brendan poked fun at the Strictly scandal, with James heard saying: "This is what happens when you don't have chaperones."
Brendan could then be seen with blood pouring from this nose, with Ian apologising for "kicking him" while Vincent laughed. James then went on: "So it's happened already, Ian, Ian has hit Brendan on the nose, split his nose open, possibly broken. The girls are laughing, as if Brendan's nose wasn't big enough already, the blood is dripping."
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Brendan then shouted: "Help me, help me", and Ian added: "Terrible, I feel so terrible, I've just broken Brendan's nose! I feel so bad!"
The BBC has introduced chaperones on this year's Strictly following claims of bullying on the show. The assistants will join the celebrities and their professional dance partners during rehearsals. The new rule comes after Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima were both axed from the dance show, after finding themselves at the centre of a bullying scandal.
Actress Amanda Abbington, who was teamed with Giovanni in the last year's series, has opened up about suffering from PTSD following her short time on the show, and accused the professional dancer of being "cruel". She quit Strictly mid-way through the series, citing medical reasons. Giovanni denied the claims and indicated he was simply a perfectionist.
In another revelation, reality TV star Zara McDermott shared that her time on Strictly, alongside Graziano, fell short of expectations, following an incident where he allegedly kicked her. Graziano has since been removed from the Strictly line-up.
The BBC has launched an investigation following the accusations against Graziano and Giovanni. The findings from the ongoing investigation into the show could drop any day now, with reports suggesting that the BBC is eager to put this drama to bed before the sparkling debut of the 20th series on 14 September.
