A former Death In Paradise star has reportedly signed up for the new series of Strictly Come Dancing amid the ongoing ‘abuse’ scandal.
Ralf Little left the lead role in Death In Paradise after five years earlier this year, with a final appearance in the March 13 season finale.
Bookmakers have predicted he could be in with a chance of starring in the BBC show, with his odds currently sitting at 4/7.
The actor’s chances are better than those of some of his supposed co-stars, according to Sun.
It has previously been reported that other names taking part in the new series will include Nick Knowles, EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick and social media star Grace Keeling, known as GK Barry.
A former Death In Paradise star has reportedly signed up for the new series of Strictly Come Dancing amid the ongoing ‘abuse’ scandal
Ralf Little left the lead role in Death In Paradise after five years earlier this year, with a final appearance in the March 13 season finale.
This comes as Strictly plunged into further crisis after Amanda Abbington claimed sacked dancer Giovanni Pernice was trying to block the publication of up to 50 hours of “toxic” material.
During a new interview, the actress compared the dance show to “the trenches” and told Channel 4 News that BBC producers had been “horrified” by the clips which also allegedly showed “humiliating behaviour of a sexual nature”.
Amanda claims Giovanni tried to block her legal team from accessing the video “evidence” after producers were forced to place cameras in the dance studio after Amanda raised her concerns.
A number of the show’s professional dancers have been accused of abusive behaviour by former celebrity contestants, with pro Graziano Di Prima being sacked by his bosses over alleged footage of his treatment of Zara McDermott.
“There are 50 hours of material that are being blocked. You know, 50 hours is a lot of material and a lot of time spent in a toxic room,” he told host Krishnan Guru-Murthy.
“It’s out there. There’s evidence of what happened in that room and I’m not the one blocking it. I’ve said that anyone can see it, but he (Giovanni) doesn’t want anyone to see it, which is quite revealing if he has nothing to hide.”
The actress said cameras were set up in her and Giovanni’s rehearsal studio after she raised concerns following the first week of practice and producers wanted to review the footage each week to assess what was “going on” between the pair.
Giovanni had claimed that he had asked for the cameras, which Amanda says is not true.
Bookmakers have predicted he could be in the running to star in the BBC show, with his odds currently sitting at 4/7.
It has previously been reported that other names taking part in the new series will include Nick Knowles (pictured), EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick and social media star Grace Keeling, known as GK Barry.
This comes as Amanda Abbington claimed sacked dancer Giovanni Pernice was trying to block the publication of up to 50 hours of “toxic” material.
Fellow Italian dancer Graziano Di Prima was fired from the show after being accused of kicking and spitting at former Love Island star Zara McDermott (pictured in the show).
“So in the first week I expressed my concerns to the producers,” the actress explained, fighting back tears.
‘Giovanni said he asked for the cameras, he didn’t ask for the cameras, I know he didn’t ask for the cameras, because the producers came to me and said, ‘we’re going to put cameras so we can see the footage at the end of the week and make an assessment and see what’s going on.’
‘And then every Friday, after the next five weeks, the producer would say to me, ‘We just saw the footage, we’re shocked and horrified, we’re so sorry.’
“They told me that to my face on Friday when we were going to do the rehearsal in front of the camera.”
Throughout the interview, Guru-Murthy, who also starred in the 2023 series, asked if it was correct that Amanda had experienced “humiliating behavior of a sexual nature,” and the actress held back tears as she nodded her head.
“Yeah. I mean, you know, one of the many things,” he said, clarifying that it was not harassment.
Since the allegations first surfaced, Giovanni has denied them all, saying he has provided a dossier of evidence to Beeb investigators and “remains fully confident of clearing his name”.
Once again denying Amanda’s claims after the interview, a spokesperson for the Italian dancer said: ‘The BBC has shared with us the allegations it has been able to corroborate.
“They bear no resemblance to Amanda’s latest allegations, made to Channel 4. Giovanni rejects any allegations of threatening or abusive behaviour.”
Following the incident, Amanda said she had not heard from anyone at the BBC again, saying: “I haven’t spoken to anyone at the BBC since Strictly.
‘No one from the BBC has contacted me since Strictly, either through me or my lawyer.’
On Tuesday, BBC director general Tim Davie warned that “the line must never be crossed”, saying: “I am very sorry that anyone has had an experience on Strictly that was not entirely positive.
“I think it’s something we reflect on and I’m sorry. If anyone feels that something is wrong or wants to talk about their experience, of course we want them to bring it up and not have any doubts, we will take it seriously.”
Mr Davie added: “Of course, along with the fun and entertainment, there will be a degree of competitiveness, hard work and a will to do well. That’s part of what makes this programme special.”
“But there are limits and the line must never be crossed. We will never tolerate any kind of unacceptable behavior.”
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