Strictly Come Dancing fans have criticised the quality of this year’s lineup as the BBC unveiled two ex-reality stars as its latest contestants.
The BBC One show will reportedly feature only six female contestants in its 20th anniversary series, following claims that women have been bullied and abused by their professional dance partners.
The latest contestants to be announced are Tasha Ghouri, who appeared in Love Island, and Pete Wicks, a former star of The Only Way Is Essex.
Craig Revel-Horwood, one of the Strictly judges, has previously said: “It’s not very often that we have reality stars take to the ballroom. We generally have people of a higher calibre than that.”
On social media, fans wondered if higher-profile celebrities had stayed away from the series this year as a result of the scandal.
“This really does say a lot about this year’s Strictly. For a show that ‘banned’ reality TV stars, with exceptions here and there… these aren’t exactly exceptional, are they?” said one TV blogger online.
Ian Hyland, a TV critic, wrote on X: “It’s less of a who’s who, more of a who’s dropped out?”
The other women announced so far are Toyah Willcox, the singer, and Dr Punam Krishan, a GP who appears on BBC daytime television.