Claudia and Tess under pressure

Presenters Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly are said to be feeling the strain to make sure this year's 20th anniversary series is the best yet

- Eve Macdonald

After 20 years on screen, 2024 marks a huge milestone for the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing. And long-standing hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman are said to be feeling the pressure due to ongoing controversies surrounding the show.

It’s been hit by scandal after scandal in recent months, starting when 2023 celebrity contestant and actress Amanda Abbington made claims that the behaviour of her professional partner on the show, Giovanni Pernice, was “unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean”. He has consistently denied he’s done anything wrong and a BBC investigation is underway.

Then dancer Graziano Di Prima was sacked from the show last month after he admitted to kicking his celebrity dance partner Zara McDermott.

As a result of the two incidents, Strictly bosses have announced new measures to protect future stars taking part in the competition, including having a production team member in rehearsal rooms at all times, as well as increased welfare support.

But as the show pledges to power on – with rehearsals in full swing and an all-star line-up revealed, including former TOWIE star Pete Wicks, Love Island’s Tasha Ghouri and Olympian Sam Quek MBE – presenters Tess and Claudia can’t help but feel the future of the show relies on them, a source claims.

“There’s a lot of pressure on Tess and Claudia to make this season the best yet,” they said. “With everything that’s been happening there with the allegations from the contestants and the staff, there’s a lot of pressure on their shoulders and they’re expected to really pull it out the bag this series.

“They’re both seen as a safe pair of hands on Strictly, but when there’s been so much going on, that’s not an easy thing to handle.”