STRICTLY pros Nancy Xu and Michelle Tsiakkas put on a brave face as they enjoyed a day out in London.
Amidst a whirlwind of scandal surrounding the show, the pair appeared in high spirits.
Nancy wore a bright red skirt and a white top, layered with a long casual shirt.
Michelle beamed beside her in a relaxed outfit, sporting a pair of dark shades perched on top of her head.
The pair were spotted smiling at the camera as they enjoyed lunch followed by a look around the shops.
Official rehearsals for this year’s series started last week ahead of the first line-up announcements and show launch.
A source said: “The professionals were all in great spirits as they met up as a group for the first time since the internal probe began.
“The BBC clearly didn’t want to take any chances though and had security there with them.
“They kept a low key presence but were keeping an eye out.
“Katya remarked that she was pleased they were there because she had been worried about a possible backlash.
“It has been a difficult time for many of the professional dancers recently.
“There has been a lot of uncertainty and coming together as a group has been great for team unity.”
Despite the BBC show being marred with claims of misconduct behind the scenes, bosses are doing everything they can to put their best foot forward this year.
It comes after three complaints against Giovanni Pernice kickstarted a BBC deep investigation.
The professional dancer is certain that he has done nothing wrong and has vowed to clear his name.
The probe later resulted in video footage of Graziano Di Prima allegedly ‘kicking and spitting’ at 2023 partner Zara McDermott came to light.
Both Giovanni and Graziano were axed from the series as a result.
Insiders said the BBC were looking to shake up the format next year, with a potential cull of some of the professional dancers.
Strictly Come Dancing's scandal has been growing over the past few months, with several major players speaking out about what went on. Here are the key moments of what's happened so far
16th May: Giovanni Pernice sensationally quits Strictly Come Dancing after nine years on the show.
17th May: Giovanni becomes the centre of an official investigation after three former partners – believed to be Amanda Abbington, Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh – make complaints to the BBC.
16th June: Giovanni releases an official statement vowing to clear his name and denies any wrongdoing.
8th July: Strictly confirms Aljaz Skorjanec will return to the series, replacing Giovanni, after initially quitting the show two years ago.
10th July: Amanda Abbington launches fresh legal proceedings to get the rehearsal footage from her time with Giovanni, after allegedly he refused to release the videos.
13th July: Graziano Di Prima is axed from Strictly for “gross misconduct” after footage of his treatment of Zara McDermott is brought to the attention of the BBC.
Graziano quickly broke his silence, apologising for his behaviour in a statement and saying he “deeply regrets it”, adding his “intense passion and determination to win might have affected his training regime.”
15th July: Strictly bosses implement new duty of care protocols, including having a chaperone present throughout all rehearsals.
16th July: Zara McDermott speaks out publicly for first time. She states while the production team were “amazing to work with”, she found the rehearsal room “completely different”, confirming there’s footage of “certain situations”.
19th July: Anton Du Beke is put under the spotlight for his “1970s attitude” and treatment of female celeb stars, particularly after allegedly referring to 2009 partner Laila Rouass as a “p***” after getting a spray tan.
21st July: Paralympian Will Bayley, who has limb condition arthrogryposis, revealed he was encouraged to leap from a table during a dance routine, despite fears. The stunt caused an injury that forced him to withdraw from the show.
22nd July: MasterChef’s Gregg Wallace admits he broke down in tears and got a nasty stress rash on his face during his time on Strictly in 2014.
23rd July: Celebrity agent Melanie Blake claims she was sexually assaulted by an unnamed pro dancer while backstage on the show, and claims she witnessed ageism, rudeness and a rough treatment to the point of injury.
23rd July: BBC boss Tim Davie breaks his silence on the ongoing allegations against Strictly, saying he is ‘deeply sorry’, adding: “Hundreds of people, be they pros, contestants or crew have been part of it and had a brilliant experience.
“At the same time if someone thinks there was something wrong or they want to talk about their experience then of course we want them to raise that with us. Be in no doubt we will take it seriously, listen and deal with it as appropriate.”
