Strictly Come Dancing is in chaos after yet another bombshell – and it’s not what host Tess Daly signed up for…

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With the first whispers of autumn in the air, it’s official: Strictly season is almost upon us. And while the brand-new batch of celebrity hopefuls limber up, the show has once again been thrust into the spotlight for yet more scandalous behaviour, and it has left Tess Daly feeling ‘shaken up’.

After a summer of shocking allegations, it was last week revealed that a former star had been arrested on suspicion of rape and non-consensual intimate image abuse. Behind the scenes, the Strictly family is feeling rocked – none more so than the show’s longtime host.

Tess Daly ©Stuart Wilson/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA

A source tells Closer, ‘Tess has said privately that negativity seems to haunt the show lately, and it’s exhausting her. The scandal has really shaken her up. If things keep going this way, she’s questioning whether she even wants to stay front and centre. Hosting Strictly should be glitter and joy, not constant scandal and damage control.

‘It’s déjà vu – these days it seems the show’s in the headlines for all the wrong reasons, and Tess is panicking about how it reflects on her. She’s fiercely protective of her image and doesn’t want to be associated with this chaos.’

The insider continues, ‘Tess is a consummate professional, but this is not what she signed up for and this feels like the last straw for her. She hates being associated with scandal, and there’s real worry this could overshadow her role on the show. Bosses are scrambling to keep control of the narrative, but Tess is very stressed.’

Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman ©Jeff Spicer/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA

This latest crisis is one of the biggest the show has faced – and it’s had more than its fair share. During the last series, contestant Wynne Evans was accused of inappropriate behaviour and forced to apologise for making an unacceptable sexual remark on stage at a press event. Though he denied the allegations, he was later sacked by the BBC.

In 2023, Amanda Abbington complained that her partner Giovanni Pernice’s attitude was ‘unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean’. While he was cleared of the ‘overwhelming majority’ of the allegations, a probe did uphold some of her complaints of verbal bullying and harassment.

The same year, former Love Island contestant Zara McDermott was left ‘incredibly distressed’ following her experience in the training room with Graziano Di Prima – who was axed after he admitted to kicking the documentary maker.

Amanda Abbington and Giovanni Pernice ©MEGA/GC Images

And last month, the BBC launched an inquiry amid claims two of its stars had used cocaine – one of whom was also suspected of drinking while working on the show, after crew members smelt alcohol on their breath.

The drugs allegations left Tess, 56 – who has been at the helm of the show since its inception in 2004 – reeling.

A source previously told Closer, ‘Tess is horrified. She’s worked hard to build a reputation as one of the most professional and polished figures on British television, and this is not the kind of headline she ever wanted to be connected to. Being dragged into this mess – even by association – is deeply embarrassing for her.

‘Tess is fiercely private and holds herself to high standards. This has shaken her confidence in the brand, and it feels like it’s just scandal after scandal with Strictly at the moment.

Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly ©Mike Marsland/WireImage

‘There have been so many problems behind the scenes lately. Tess has been holding her tongue, but this latest incident has really rattled her team. She’s the ultimate professional – always on time, always prepared, always grateful. To be pulled into this circus through no fault of her own feels incredibly unfair, especially when she’s had nothing to do with the drama.’

And the new scandal has done nothing to quell Tess’ concerns. ‘She’s been putting on a brave face, but she’s rattled,’ the source continues. ‘The allegations have thrown the whole production and launch show into panic mode and the atmosphere in the training room is tense. Everyone’s walking on eggshells.’

And Tess – who set up her own swimwear line, Naia Beach, in 2021 – isn’t alone in her feelings.

Claudia Winkleman has been her co-host since the late Bruce Forsyth stepped down in 2014, and the pair made broadcasting history as the first all-female duo to co-host a primetime TV show.

Tess once revealed that presenting with Claudia, 53, didn’t feel like work and was instead ‘an extension of our friendship’. ‘It always felt natural and right [to work with her] and, when you genuinely get on with someone, it is a joy to stand next to them on the floor,’ she said. Tess went on, ‘She is incredibly talented and things she says off the cuff are hysterical.’

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Claudia – who revealed the pair’s post-show ritual includes ‘sitting on the floor, inhaling Maltesers and eating McDonald’s’ – agreed. ‘Tess and I get on brilliantly. I’ve always thought viewers know what’s real and what isn’t. Fakery and nonsense can be seen from miles off.’

But although they were both awarded MBEs for their services to broadcasting this year, our source adds, ‘Tess has been talking to Claudia, who’s been trying to lighten the mood as she always does, but even she’s finding it difficult.

‘Normally the two of them are the steady, reassuring presence – but with the crisis talks going on, it feels like the rug has been pulled from under them.’

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