Now Strictly struggles to sign up female stars: As Zara McDermott speaks out and crisis threatens the show’s future, things ‘are starting to feel dire’ reveals KATIE HIND

It’s at this time of year that Strictly’s casting boss is normally putting the finishing touches to her all-star cast.

After months of being bombarded with calls from agents begging their clients for a spot on the Saturday night favorite, Stefania Aleksander, the show’s longtime booker, typically signs up at least six or seven celebrities, whose names inevitably end up in the public domain.

This time around, however, it was quite a battle, despite it being Strictly’s 20th anniversary year.

Insiders at the company say they are struggling to recruit women, especially leading women, a first in the company’s rich history.

‘It’s usually the women who are more into it,’ says a television executive associated with the show. ‘Not only is it a chance to dress up, but appearing on Strictly is much more career-boosting for women than it is for men.

“But rumor has it that it’s not exactly a piece of cake, so they’re a lot harder to get hold of.”

In fact, things only got worse for the producers last weekend. Sicilian-born dancer Graziano Di Prima was sacked after five years on Strictly following claims he punched and kicked his celebrity partner Zara McDermott, a former Love Island contestant.

The scandal, which followed Amanda Abbington’s allegations that Giovanni Pernice “bullied” her during rehearsals, has thrown the BBC into “absolute chaos”.

Sources within the organisation say the show is in a ‘collapse’ and top brass from both Strictly and the BBC held meetings over the weekend to discuss how to survive the scandal.

One said: ‘There’s been a lot of talk about how to handle this, but the biggest problem is this year’s cast… There’s been a lot of swearing and a lot of frustration.’

The scale of the crisis is illustrated by the fact that – around this time last year – Zara, former newsreader Angela Rippon and TV presenter Angela Scanlon had already signed up for the show. Finalist Layton Williams had also agreed to appear and Les Dennis was about to do so. All of these names had leaked into the public domain, but this year not a single celebrity woman’s name has been mentioned.

“It’s starting to get a little bit dire,” the insider says. “It was supposed to be amazing this year, it’s such a big series. There’s a lot of pressure.”

Perhaps in an attempt to generate interest and make the show more attractive to potential candidates, the BBC yesterday unveiled a three-point plan to make rehearsals safer.

From now on, a production employee will be present during the training sessions, both participants and professionals will receive additional support from welfare producers and the production team and crew will receive ‘refresher training’.

The move was announced after Zara broke her silence on the scandal, in which Graziano not only punched and kicked her, but also repeatedly verbally abused her.

After days of hesitating over whether to respond to the story – which was broken by The Mail on Sunday over the weekend – she told her two million Instagram followers she feared a public backlash, even though she was not the one who made the complaint.

She only came forward after the BBC, which had been alerted to Graziano’s abusive behaviour by production staff, contacted her.

Zara, 27, who became a documentary presenter and media personality after appearing on Love Island in 2018, described her appearance on Strictly as ‘a childhood dream come true’.

But she told her fans that things weren’t so dreamy behind the scenes, adding: “My experience in the training room was very different. There have been reports about my treatment on the show and there were witnesses to some of the events, as well as videos of certain incidents, which are incredibly painful to watch.

‘I’ve struggled with the fear of opening up. I was afraid of a public backlash, I was afraid of my future, I was afraid of victim shaming.

‘I have found the strength to face these fears. When I was asked to speak to the BBC, I spoke candidly about my time on the programme.’

She thanked the BBC for its “swift action and incredibly high level of support”. The Corporation sided with Zara and accepted that Graziano’s behaviour was “appalling”.

The BBC plans to review its recruitment process to ensure that anyone joining the show has the resilience to cope with the gruelling rehearsal process.

There is even talk of introducing lessons for the dancers on how to behave during lessons. But first the dispute between Giovanni and Amanda must be resolved, which has been the subject of an internal investigation for more than two months.

HR has reviewed footage of the couple’s rehearsals but has reportedly found no evidence of any behavior from Giovanni, 33, that could be considered unacceptable. Insiders say they are “concerned” to tell Amanda that they have not found a “smoking gun.”

They are also facing legal action from the Italian heartthrob, who claims his reputation has been damaged by the affair. Friends of his say the BBC let Giovanni down by pairing him with a partner who failed to undergo psychological tests to assess her suitability for the gruelling rehearsal regime.

“Well, that’s a mess again,” exclaimed a BBC employee.

As for Graziano, 28, his friends are said to be concerned for his well-being after the scandal became public. In a statement on Instagram, he said his “intense passion… may have affected his training regime” and that it was “best for the show” that he step back.

People close to him claim that there is another story behind the consequences, but that he does not want to talk about it yet.

As a friend aptly put it, “He came from poverty and now he’s lost everything.”