One of the Strictly Come Dancing celebrities who has been paired with an unvaccinated professional dancer is said to be shocked as they thought BBC bosses would ‘protect them’.
It was revealed on Tuesday that three dancers have refused to take the Covid vaccine, with reports of chaos and ‘resentment’ behind the scenes.
A friend of the celebrity said: ’They just couldn’t believe that their partner would not have had a jab.
‘Strictly is the biggest show on TV and has been trumpeting its anti-Covid measures throughout the pandemic.
‘They thought they’d be protected so to discover their partner hasn’t even had a single jab is very worrying.’
The source added to The Sun: ‘The couple has already spent tens of hours practising together. Clearly, there is a lot of anger and a lot of questions to be asked.’
A Strictly spokesperson told Metro.co.uk: ‘We do not comment on speculation of somebody’s Covid vaccination status. Strictly Come Dancing production has, and will, continue to follow strict government guidelines to ensure the safety of all on the show.’
Former pro James Jordan, who left the beloved BBC programme in 2013, believes the unvaccinated dancers should quit the series.
Speaking to Richard Madeley and Susanna Reid on Good Morning Britain, he said: ‘I normally would protect the professional dancers until the cows come home but on this particular occasion, I can’t unfortunately.
‘I definitely believe that they don’t deserve their right on the show and the celebrities have every right to refuse to dance with them.
‘If the celebrities don’t want to dance with the professionals who haven’t been double vaccinated, that makes their job obsolete.
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‘There are loads of professional dancers who would love to do Strictly, get them on there.’
Dr Hilary Jones also warned the dancers’ decisions could cause issues backstage.
‘I think it could create a problem if another positive case breaks out, and the crew and the dancers become infected, the show is off and the schedule is down the drain. There are repercussions.’
Bosses have a number of protocols in place to make sure the cast and crew will be as safe as possible while filming, amid the global pandemic.
Strictly’s executive producer Sarah James explained that new quarantine rules means that contestants may be able to take some time out before returning to the competition.
‘If a celebrity does receive a positive test, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are out of the competition,’ she told Metro.co.uk and other press. ‘It might mean they could miss a week and still get enough training in to return.
Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday at 7pm on BBC One.
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