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The BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing investigation has been hit by the scandal surrounding former presenter Jermaine Jenas, Mail Online has learned.
The Corporation was expected to announce the results of its investigation into the allegations made by Amanda Abbington this week.
The former Sherlock actress left the show and then filed a series of allegations against her dance partner Giovanni Pernice.
Now a source close to the investigation says the BBC is unlikely to make its findings public until next week at the earliest.
The investigation is now also believed to be extending into next month.
Strictly’s bullying investigation has been delayed following the sacking of Jermaine Jenas at the BBC as the channel lurches from “one disaster to another”, MailOnline can reveal
Jermaine is “embarrassed” and “deeply sorry” after he was fired from the network this week for sending inappropriate text messages to women.
The source said: “The BBC is caught in a perfect storm at the moment. One disaster after another.”
‘They had to deal with Huw Edwards and now the Jermaine Jenas scandal has come almost out of the blue.
‘They are fully aware that they need to announce the results of the Strictly Come Dancing investigation and that all eyes are on them.
“They know there will be a lot of scrutiny over anything they choose to say, so they need to choose the right time and make sure any questions people have about the investigation can be answered.”
The Strictly scandal broke in January when actress Amanda Abbington accused her professional partner Giovanni Pernice of abuse after she unexpectedly quit the show just five weeks later.
Sherlock actress Amanda, 50, has made a number of allegations about Giovanni’s teaching methods and has described his behaviour as “unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean”. He strongly denies all the allegations.
Meanwhile, Jermaine was fired from the network this week for sending inappropriate texts to women.
The presenter, 41, has said he is “ashamed” and “deeply remorseful”, admitting to “frantically” sexting a woman for 24 hours after she gave him her number at a work event.
The Corporation was expected to announce the results of its investigation into the allegations made by Amanda Abbington this week, however the BBC is now unlikely to make its findings public until next week at the earliest.
The source said: “The BBC is caught in a perfect storm at the moment. One disaster after another. They’ve had to deal with Huw Edwards and now the Jermaine Jenas scandal has come almost out of the blue.”
In July, the scandal deepened after it emerged that Graziano Di Prima had been sacked from Strictly for “kicking” his partner, Love Island star Zara McDermott.
Referring to the two ongoing investigations, the source added: “The investigation is practically finished. There are still some things left to investigate, but they are almost finished and a lot of work has been done this week.
‘But BBC brass will not rush to announce anything until the time is right.
‘This is likely to be very, very frustrating for Amanda and Giovanni, who have been waiting for a long time to see what the outcome will be.
‘They both answered questions, gave evidence and communicated with investigators, including two former Met police officers, at every stage, so they understandably now want to see what the BBC has decided.
‘That also means the feud is more likely to drag on until the start of the new series, which is the last thing producers wanted.
“They want to try and put an end to this and get back to the business of putting on the show. But the crisis surrounding Strictly is far from over.”
A Strictly source told MailOnline that the show’s investigation and Jermain’s sacking “are completely unrelated and to suggest they are is incorrect”.
Amanda compared the dance performance to “the trenches” and told Channel 4 News that BBC producers were left “horrified” by the clips which allegedly also showed “humiliating behaviour of a sexual nature”.
The scandal deepened in July after it emerged that Graziano Di Prima had been fired from Strictly for “kicking” fellow Love Island star Zara McDermott.
The Strictly scandal erupted in January when actress Amanda Abbington accused her professional partner Giovanni Pernice of abuse after she unexpectedly quit the show just five weeks later, claims he has vehemently denied.
Neither Giovanni nor Graziano will be returning for the show’s 20th anniversary series next month as rehearsals are in full swing.
Graziano has since claimed he does not know all the details of what he allegedly did.
The BBC will not give further details due to the “confidential nature of the circumstances” in which the information was provided and its “obligations” to “third parties”.
Last week it was reported that Amanda found BBC bosses’ line of questioning “highly offensive” amid her misconduct investigation.
The actress was reportedly questioned for a second time over an illicit video Giovanni shared with her, as well as a “lewd comment” he made about another famous contestant when the video was sent.
It was also reported that the dancer made a rude comment about a member of Amanda’s own family, only for BBC bosses to “effectively ask” her if the dancer had said anything as a light-hearted joke.
A source said The sun:'(Amanda) found this line of questioning highly offensive.’
Regarding the alleged video, they told the publication: “The BBC cannot ignore the fact that the video was sent. There appears to be a trail of evidence.”
‘Even if it is established that the material was shared with innocent intentions, the BBC is concerned that this may constitute a breach of conduct under the contract given to professional dancers.’
A BBC spokesman said: “As we have said before, we will not comment on individuals or engage in speculation.”
STRICTLY 2024 LINEUP
Chris McCausland
Age: 46
Profession: Comedian
Chris says: “If anyone is thinking, ‘How the hell is he going to do that?’ rest assured, I’m thinking exactly the same thing.”
Dr. Punam Krishan
Age: unknown
Profession: Family doctor and announcer
Punam says: ‘I’ve watched Strictly every year and it feels even more special that it’s the 20th year, I can’t believe it’s me who’s going to be on Strictly.’
Willcox Toy Store
Age: 66
Profession: Singer, actor, presenter
Toyah says: “I’m so excited and I love this show. Being a part of it, the spray tan and the glow. It’s a landmark year for me. I came in as a retiree, went to Glasto and now I’m spray tanning.”
Pete Wicks
Age: 36
Profession: Reality star
Pete says: “Dancing live in front of the whole country every Saturday? Absolutely terrifying.”
Shayne Neighborhood
Age: 39
Profession: Actor and singer
Shayne says: ‘I’m no stranger to live television, but dancing Latin and ballroom in front of millions of people is a whole new level.’
Tom Dean
Age: 24
Profession: Olympic medal-winning swimmer
Tom says: “I can now officially talk about how excited I am to embark on something new, meet brilliant people and start dancing.”
Nick Knowles
Age: 61
Profession: TV presenter
Nick says, ‘I’m going for it. I’m going to give it 100 percent!’
JB Gill
Age: 37
Profession: Singer
JB says: “A lot of ballroom dance styles are very foreign to me. I didn’t do those dances as a kid. I’m not a professional dancer.”
Wynne Evans
Age: 52
Profession: Opera singer, presenter
Wynne says: ‘The things that make me nervous are the ones that involve jumping, I don’t really want to do the jive, I get nervous about that.
Tasha Ghouri
Age: 25
Profession: Model and reality star
Tasha says: ‘I’ve been watching the show since I was little, it’s a Ghouri family favourite so this is totally a dream come true.’
Sarah Hadland
Age: 53
Profession: Actress
Sarah says: ‘I’m particularly excited to be part of such an iconic show in its 20th year.’
Jamie Borthwick
Age: 30
Profession: EastEnders star
Jamie says: ‘I had a blast making the Christmas special, so when I was asked to take part, the easiest answer was ‘yes!’
Sam Quek
Age: 35
Profession: Former Great Britain hockey player and presenter
Sam says: “I’m so relieved that it’s out now. I’ve found it hard to keep a secret! Rumours were spreading and I had to lie. I’m used to dancing on a girls’ night out but I’m going to give it my all.”
Pablo Merson
Age: 56
Profession: Former footballer
Paul says: ‘I won’t worry until it starts, but when it does start I’ll be nervous. I’ve only danced three times in my life!’
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