Strictly Come Dancing has been hit by scandal after explicit photos of one the BBC show’s stars were allegedly leaked online.
The Sun report that images of a star connected to the show have spread online, leaving the unnamed celebrity ‘shaken.’
A source said: ‘It’s a huge betrayal of trust and it has left them shaken. They will be taking action to get them taken down but it’s a real blow.
‘This isn’t even the first person from Strictly it’s happened to — it’s like there’s another curse connected to the show.’
Strictly Come Dancing has been hit by scandal after explicit photos of one the BBC show’s stars were allegedly leaked online
The Sun report that images of a star connected to the show, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, have spread online, leaving the unnamed celebrity ‘shaken.’ There is no suggestion that any of the stars pictured above are involved
In 2020 Strictly pro dancer Katya Jones was said to have been left devastated after explicit photos of her were reportedly leaked.
The star’s iCloud was allegedly hacked, containing the photos that were taken three years previously.
In 2019 celeb contestant Jamie Laing was reportedly concerned about explicit photos being circulated, fearing it would get him into trouble with producers.
Celebrity contestants Saffron Barker, Ricky Whittle, David James and Catherine Tyldesley have also been victims of photo leaks in the past.
A representative for Strictly has been contacted for comment by MailOnline.
The show is currently engulfed in another scandal surrounding one of its longest standing pro dancers Giovanni Pernice.
The dancer has reportedly quit Strictly over an ongoing misconduct row with his celebrity partners and will not appear in the show’s upcoming 20th series.
Giovanni, who has starred on Strictly for eight years, is now having his behaviour investigated by BBC bosses.
A source said: ‘It’s a huge betrayal of trust and it has left them shaken. They will be taking action to get them taken down but it’s a real blow’ (pictured: the show’s judges Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke, Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse – there is no suggestion the photo leak is connected to the judges)
The show is currently engulfed in another scandal surrounding one of its longest standing pro dancers Giovanni Pernice
Three women, including actress Amanda Abbington, have hired £700-an-hour lawyers at leading London law firm Carter Ruck to pursue claims against Giovanni and the BBC.
The Sicilian dancer, 33, is accused of ‘threatening and abusive behaviour’ while working with celebrity contestants on the show, among them Abbington, Good Morning Britain presenter Ranvir Singh and former Love Island host Laura Whitmore.
Abbington previously spoke out after the Daily Mail reported Giovanni had asked the BBC to record his rehearsals with the actress over growing concerns about her behaviour.
Speaking to Katie Hind, she said: ‘I asked for them to be recorded, it was me. Giovanni is nasty. He was awful to a few of us, a group of us.’
Abbington went on to describe how her life had been devastated by the experience, which has exploded since she quit the show abruptly in the middle of the last series.
In January, she claimed she had suffered post-traumatic stress disorder after working with Giovanni, and later complained of sustaining a bruised foot in training.
Three women, including actress Amanda Abbington, have hired £700-an-hour lawyers at leading London law firm Carter Ruck to pursue claims against Giovanni and the BBC
‘You don’t understand how awful this all is,’ she said. ‘Giovanni’s fans have started trolling me now. I have had to come off social media and I’m getting death threats.’
The actress also insisted that she had complained of Giovanni’s behaviour soon into the series. ‘I went to producers early on and told them about Giovanni,’ she said.
And she lamented of the fallout: ‘All of this because I didn’t enjoy a television programme. I didn’t enjoy it because of all of this.’
No details of how Giovanni is alleged to have behaved have yet been released. But days after her phone call, the BBC put out an unprecedented statement about the dispute.
A spokesman vowed that the broadcaster would carry out its investigation with ‘care, fairness and sensitivity to everyone concerned’.
The spokesman said: ‘If a complaint is made to the BBC, we assess and take any necessary steps to establish the facts, whether there is a case to answer, and, if appropriate, what action should be taken.
Abbington previously spoke out after the Daily Mail reported Giovanni had asked the BBC to record his rehearsals with the actress over growing concerns about her behaviour
‘This is all within the context of the BBC having duties of care to everyone linked to a complaint – that applies to those that have raised the complaint and to those that have been complained about.
‘Whilst we know our shows have been positive experiences for many of those who have taken part, we will always look at any issues raised with care, fairness and sensitivity to everyone concerned.’
Sources familiar with the situation say the BBC came under pressure from Amanda’s team to say publicly that it was she who asked for the rehearsals to be taped.
A source said: ‘It’s terrible, really. Amanda wanted the BBC to set her record straight, to confirm her version of events. But of course they can’t. It just shows that if she doesn’t like what is being said, she shouts loudly about it.’