Strictly Come Dancing bosses have confirmed that one of this year’s professional dancers has tested positive for Covid-19.
On Tuesday evening, The Sun reported that the new series was “in chaos” after a pro dancer tested positive last week, the day after filming this year’s pre-recorded launch show.
Although they did not name the dancer in question, the tabloid said that during filming the pro in question was partnered with one of this year’s 15 celebrity contestants.
Fortunately, they reported that their celebrity partner tested negative for Covid, and may now be given a different partner, at least for their first week of live shows, which begin airing on Saturday 25 September.
A BBC spokesperson told Metro: “A professional dancer has tested positive for Covid-19, however this didn’t affect the recording of the launch show which airs this Saturday.
“We are following government guidelines to ensure the safety of all on the show.”
Last year, Nicola Adams and Katya Jones were forced to bow out of the show early when the latter contracted Covid mid-series.
However, Metro pointed out that this might not necessarily be the case if a celebrity tests positive in 2021.
Strictly’s executive producer Sarah James told the online outlet: “If a celebrity does receive a positive test, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are out of the competition. It might mean they could miss a week and still get enough training in to return [after 10 days of self-isolating].”
Strictly’s launch was filmed last week, with all 15 of the new stars discovering over the course of the episode who they’ll be paired with.
This year, two long-serving pros will not be competing, with Anton Du Beke being bumped up to the judging panel in Bruno Tonioli’s absence, and Janette Manrara taking over hosting duties on spin-off show It Takes Two.
Strictly returns on Saturday 18 September on BBC One, with live shows airing the following weekend.