Strictly contestants excited for 20th anniversary series amid controversy

The hit BBC One dance competition is set to launch its 20th anniversary series this Saturday when it will be revealed which professional dancers will be partnered with the 15 famous faces.

It comes after an investigation was launched by the corporation following allegations made about professional dancer Giovanni Pernice by his former dancer partner Amanda Abbington.

Pernice rejects the allegations and the results of the probe are yet to be made public.

Speaking ahead of the series launch, Love Island star Tasha Ghouri said: “I’m very excited to get the sequins on, hair, make-up and yeah, have just a great time.

“It’s a dream come true of mine so I’m really excited to get started.”

She revealed the contestants had already been working together as a group, describing the atmosphere as being “really good vibes” and that they had “cheered each other on”.

The reality star, who was born deaf and uses a cochlear implant, said former contestant Rose Ayling-Ellis had congratulated her on joining the 2024 line-up.

Former EastEnders actress Ayling-Ellis was the first deaf contestant to ever take part in the show and she went on to win the competition.

Ghouri added: “I feel proud to be representing the deaf community as well.

“We both have such different experiences being deaf growing up, so it’s nice that I can bring something different to the table in terms of the cochlear implant and my journey.

“I’ve definitely got big footsteps to follow but she’s been amazing.”

X Factor winner Shayne Ward said he was “super excited” to get started on the “once-in-a-lifetime experience”.

“I think you just got to get out of your head, for all of us, and let yourself go because this literally is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for us all”, he added.

“You can’t come back and do this again… You’ve just got to go for it now, and don’t look back in 10 years time and think, ‘Why didn’t I just go for it?'”

Miranda actress Sarah Hadland revealed she had previously been asked “at least 10 times”, but this year finally felt like the right time for her.

She said: “With a show like this, you can’t do it because somebody else thinks you should or because you feel like it’s the right thing to do.

“A show like this is a massive commitment and I always feel, when I watch it, I don’t want to see people there who don’t really want to be there.

“I really wanted to do it this year. I turned it down quite a lot. I think I first got asked the year that Miranda went out which is a long time ago.

“My mum has also been badgering me and she was ecstatic.”

Also among this year’s line-up is comedian Chris McCausland, who is the first blind contestant on the show, opera singer Wynne Evans, DIY SOS presenter Nick Knowles, JLS star JB Gill, singer Toyah Willcox and reality TV star Pete Wicks.

McCausland has said he hopes to show that “blind people are more capable than a lot of people would think they are”.

Also among the line-up are Gladiator and Olympian Montell Douglas, EastEnders’ Jamie Borthwick, Olympian Tom Dean, Morning Live resident doctor and NHS GP Dr Punam Krishan, former England footballer Paul Merson and Olympic hockey gold medallist Sam Quek.

Following the allegations raised about Pernice’s conduct, fellow dancer Graziano Di Prima has also left the show.

He told the Daily Mail that he “wasn’t meaning to kick” his 2023 dance partner Zara McDermott and did not know from where the Love Island star’s allegations had come from.

Ahead of the new series, the BBC said it would introduce new welfare measures including a chaperone who will be present “at all times” during rehearsals.