STRICTLY Come Dancing star Vito Coppola has broken his silence on what will save the scandal-hit BBC show.
The pro dancer made a firm mark on the dancefloor after scooping up the Glitterball trophy with his celeb partner, Coronation Street star Ellie Leach.
Amid a series of scandals which have rocked the show, including Graziano Di Prima‘s sacking and the investigation into Giovanni Pernice, reigning champ Vito has admitted that the show could be pulled back from it’s recent woes thanks to a slew of top-tier elements.
As well as being the 20th anniversary special, Vito revealed that the team had been handed a bigger boost than ever before thanks to the return of Amy Dowden.
Speaking to The Sun, Vito said: “I’m looking forward to it because Amy is back, you know, and we want Amy back.”
Amy was forced to pull out of the programme last year owing to her cancer diagnosis.
She recently opened up about her treatment in an eye-opening BBC documentary following her life during the cancer battle.
Elsewhere, Vito confessed that once viewers are back seeing the incredible dancer on screens, the outside noise would be forgotten.
The star revealed that routines were already being prepared and underway by the show’s leading choreographer, Jason Gilkison.
Vito said: “It’s the 20 year anniversary of the BBC, so I’m sure that,
you know, all the production and Jason, the choreographer, they are, like, preparing, you know, something really beautiful.
“I’m looking really forward to it.”
One of those routines is based on returning Amy with a post from the Strictly team revealing: “#Strictly is celebrating the return of @amy_dowden with a group dance featuring all of the Professional Dancers
“Airing in the launch show this autumn, the empowering routine will exude glamour as we welcome Amy back for the 22nd series of Strictly Come Dancing.”
“I never think about the fact that I’m the current champion, you know, because at the end, who really are the winners – our
celebrities.
“I always think that as professionals, we have to be a good mirror
for our celebrities.
“Sometimes people think that, oh, Vito won, or last year like, Jovita won, but no – Ellie [Leach] won, and Hamza [Yassin] won, and every year it’s like this,
“We have to be the best teammates, you know, strong like a rock and just act as a mirror.”
Whilst it is yet to be revealed if Vito has bagged himself a partner on this year’s show, some fans have been left devastated to hear Kai Widdrington has been benched and won’t be dancing alongside a celeb.
Elsewhere, Love Island star Tasha Ghouri will be dancing alongside returning show pro, Aljaz Skorjanec, on the upcoming series.
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.
22nd July: Despite ongoing issues, the Strictly professional cast begin rehearsals for this year’s series.
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: Strictly is forced to beef up security after ‘an intruder scales the wall of the rehearsal studio’.
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.”
24th July: Strictly 2023 star Krishnan Guru-Murthy holds a bombshell interview with Amanda Abbington on Channel 4 news, where she claims she was bullied, with some of the ‘humilation being of a sexual nature’.
27th July: Laura Whitmore releases a statement regarding her Strictly experience, saying “I thought my experience was specific to me but I’ve since learned I was wrong”.
She adds she is not part of the official complaint, but has come forward to support Amanda with the BBC, alongside others.
28th July: Laila Rouass speaks out against the accusations regarding Anton Du Beke, saying she “never felt pressured” by him and “personally insisted on six to seven hours training a day”.
10th August: Graziano breaks his silence on his Strictly axe, saying “these vile, false allegations have ruined my life.”
He also told of the “shocking” end to his friendship with Zara McDermott.
We also revealed that Amanda Abbington was also quizzed for a second time as Strictly execs recruited 15 new staff to monitor rehearsals.
11th August: Just as the investigation was expected to conclude, Amanda made a dramatic intervention. Giovanni was on the brink of being cleared until Amanda handed in more text messages.
24th August: Graziano Di Prima called in top lawyers to sue the BBC and to try to clear his name. He recruited big hitters Whitestone Chambers to fight his corner.
A source said: “They’ve also looked at his BBC contract and believe there are grounds to sue.”
Meanwhile, the BBC also delayed releasing the findings of the probe into Giovanni Pernice. The Sun revealed that the results of the three-month investigation were unlikely to be announced in August.
