Strictly Come Dancing scandal timeline: what happened when

The director general of the BBC has apologised to former "Strictly Come Dancing" contestants who have complained of mistreatment and abusive behaviour at the hands of their professional dance partners – but says the show will go on.

Speaking to journalists as the corporation released its annual report, Tim Davie said he was "very sorry that anyone has had an experience that hasn't been wholly positive – that's something we do need to reflect on", singling out "learnings specifically about oversight in the training rooms that we had needed to address", the BBC reported. He added: "We never tolerate unacceptable behaviour of any kind."

The BBC announced last week that it would introduce measures to "strengthen welfare and support" on its popular entertainment show, including a chaperone who will be present "at all times" during training room rehearsals.

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Addressing rampant media speculation about the future of the BBC's flagship entertainment show, Davie said that series 20  – a milestone in the show's history – will go ahead as planned, and that this year's line-up is ready and "itching to get going", according to Deadline's Jake Kanter.

It follows the departure of two of the show's stars – pro dancers Graziano Di Prima and Giovanni Pernice – amid allegations of abusive behaviour towards their celebrity partners during training. A third dancer, as yet unnamed, is apparently being investigated ahead of the show's return to screens in the autumn for its 20th series. Dancer-turned-judge Anton Du Beke is also facing a possible misconduct complaint over historic allegations from one of his former celebrity partners.

 Here's how the scandal has unfolded so far:

6 January: The Sun reports that actor Amanda Abbington, who pulled out part-way through the show's 19th series for "medical reasons", has requested rehearsal room footage of her training sessions with pro dancer Giovanni Pernice as she seeks legal advice. The anonymous show insider said the atmosphere in rehearsals was sometimes "tense" and described Pernice as a "perfectionist".

17 May: Reports in the media claim that the BBC are investigating Pernice's conduct after two past celebrity partners lodged formal complaints through legal firm Carter Ruck, which is also representing Abbington. 

18 May: Amid swirling rumours that Pernice would not be included in the line-up for the next series, the dancer posts a statement to his Instagram account in which he denies "any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour" and said: "I look forward to clearing my name".

10 June: The BBC unveils the pro dancers taking part in series 20 of "Strictly Come Dancing". Pernice is not among them.

16 June: Pernice posts on his Instagram for a second time, saying he is "cooperating fully" with the BBC investigation. He repeats his denial of any abusive behaviour and says the latest allegations are "simply false", and that he looks forward to "establishing the truth".

13 July: Reports emerge in the media that pro dancer Graziano Di Prima is also being investigated after production staff came forward with concerns about training room incidents with his celebrity partner, "Love Island" star Zara McDermott.

That day, Di Prima announces that he is leaving "Strictly" in an Instagram post that says he "deeply" regrets the events leading up to his departure, which he links to his "intense passion and determination to win". "When the time is right I will share my story," he adds.

A BBC spokesperson confirms that Di Prima is "no longer a part of the line-up of professional dancers for the upcoming series".

16 July: McDermott publicly addresses the allegations for the first time on her Instagram account, saying she did not come forward because she was scared of "public backlash". While much of the show was an "amazing" experience, she said, "inside the training room was very different", adding that some of the incidents caught on camera were "incredibly distressing to watch".

Later that day, the BBC announces that all rehearsals will be supervised by production staff, and that two new roles have been created to look after the welfare of contestants and professionals.

That evening, The Sun reveals that a third dancer – who no longer works on the show – is a "person of interest" in the ongoing investigation.

17 July: The Mirror reports that Anton Du Beke is "bracing himself" for a legal complaint from law firm Carter Ruck over historic allegations concerning his former dance partner Laila Rouass. Du Beke used a racial slur towards her when they were paired together in 2009, which was reported in the media at the time and resulted in Du Beke making a public apology.

21 July: Paralympian Will Bayley claims he suffered a life-changing injury after he was pushed to make a jump in rehearsals by pro partner Janette Manrara in 2019, despite voicing concerns to her and the show's bosses. The table tennis star, who has a condition that limits certain limb movements, said he was encouraged to leap from a table. He tore knee ligaments, which forced him to pull out of the series. The injury left him "depressed, bed ridden and caused a huge impact on his sports career", said The Sun.

23 July: BBC director general downplays rumours that "Strictly Come Dancing" could be postponed or cancelled in response to the scandal, and says series 20 will proceed as normal. Tim Davie apologised to contestants who felt mistreated, saying that competitiveness is to be expected but "there are limits and the line should never be crossed".