STRICTLY Come Dancing fans are turned off after a summer of scandal.
BBC’s flagship show has been struck by poor ratings – and despite it being its 20th anniversary it appears the series has lost its sparkle.
Bosses attempted to sweep the programme’s ‘abuse’ allegations under the dancefloor – after Graziano Di Prima was sacked over his behaviour towards Zara McDermott.
His axe came amid a five-month inquiry by BBC bosses into alleged bullying by Giovanni Pernice towards Amanda Abbington on the same series.
Despite the pair being firm fan favourites – their notable absence has been ignored.
Instead, viewers have been left without an on-screen explanation from hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.
The show’s family-friendly persona is being protected – with stars keeping up appearances amid the storm.
That’s despite Giovanni’s best friend Anton Du Beke returning as a judge while he competes on the Italian version of the show.
Although their names have not been mentioned, a dark cloud hovers over Strictly.
That’s not because the celebs are less entertaining, or the costumes not as glamorous; Dave Arch’s band is still producing fantastic performances and the choreography remains top-notch.
The elephant in the room has cast a shadow over the series because viewers are sick to the back teeth of being lied to.
Everyone understands that slapping on a smile after hearing “lights, camera, action” is second nature to those performers.
But the shocking allegations made when we’ve been led to believe everything’s hunky dory behind the scenes has left a bitter taste.
Keen to shrug off any accusations there’s trouble in the Strictly bubble, the new celebrities have remained as tactile and friendly with their dance partners as ever.
This behaviour backfired last weekend however, when Katya Jones appeared to let slip her “real feelings” towards Wynne Evans.
She was spotted rolling her eyes at the GoCompare singer after snubbing him over a high-five – before having to bat away his wandering hands in front of the cameras.
After instant backlash online, Wynne and Katya uploaded an apology video claiming it was an “inside joke gone wrong”.
Ever since, we’ve had to put up with the pair’s cringeworthy attempt to put on a united front.
Sadly it’s not worked on the public – with Wynne favourite to be booted out this weekend.
He appears to have become collateral damage to long-suffering fans who are fed up of being lied to.
Katya’s face told a story on Strictly last weekend when her smile dropped. It’ll take an Oscar-winning performance on this Saturday’s show to convince viewers her fixed grin isn’t just for show.
