Weeks before Strictly Come Dancing boogies back onto our screens, the BBC have allegedly made the decision to tighten the purse strings on the budget for the much-loved show in order to fund increased welfare measures.
Set to return to BBC One in the coming weeks with stars such as TOWIE's Pete Wicks and Love Island's Tasha Ghouri, the show has been plagued over recent months with claims of "misconduct" levelled against stars like Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima.
Amidst this turmoil and the prep for the upcoming series, sources have claimed that BBC executives are scrambling to implement new ways to keep their twirling stars protected without breaking the bank - reportedly having to slim down the channel line up to ensure that celebs have chaperones by their side. "Money had to be found to pay for chaperones and welfare producers", a source told the Daily Mail, who also added, "and we still don't know how much all these allegations are going to cost the show.
It is not going to be cheap. A decision was made to make cuts to the cast." The "reduced casting budget" has been allocated for the Strictly 2024 cast, a decision that has drawn heavy criticism from fans of the long-standing show who were left puzzled when they couldn't recognise some names. "The line-up is one of our cheapest ever.