Sat Sep 14 00:55:56 UTC 2024: ## Strictly Come Dancing Tightens Rehearsal Rules Amid Misconduct Investigations

**London, UK** – Following recent misconduct investigations involving professional dancers, Strictly Come Dancing producers are reportedly clamping down on rehearsal practices. New measures include a strict weekly cap on training hours and the introduction of chaperones for celebrity contestants.

The weekly cap on practice time, first implemented last year, will remain in place, limiting couples to a maximum of 48 hours per week. This averages out to approximately eight hours per day, with Sundays off. A source told The Sun, “The celebs have been told they have to stick to the cap. They’re all incredibly competitive and desperate to do well, but bosses want to make sure everyone gets a fair crack of the whip, so they’ve laid out the rules.”

These new measures come in the wake of an investigation into allegations of misconduct against professional dancers Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima. Amanda Abbington, who abruptly left the show last October, made a series of accusations against Pernice, claiming his teaching methods were “unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean.” While Pernice denies the claims, the investigation has led to the implementation of chaperones, who will be present during rehearsals to ensure the wellbeing of the contestants.

Past contestants have also spoken out about the demanding schedule, including Laura Whitmore, who appeared on the show in 2016. She expressed her discomfort with the long hours spent with her dance partner, Giovanni Pernice, stating, “What I didn’t like was being removed from everybody and having to spend 12 hours a day with this one person.”

Executive producer Sam Bickley has reportedly taken charge of ensuring the welfare of participants, stating, “We have acted swiftly and decisively to nip [any overstepping of the mark] in the bud and it doesn’t take away from almost everyone else having a really lovely, enriching experience from being part of the show.”

The BBC has confirmed it will be implementing these new protocols and will be strictly enforcing the new measures in the upcoming season of Strictly Come Dancing.

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