THE BBC has backed Strictly Come Dancing‘s unjabbed dancers after mounting pressure to be vaccinated to stay in the series.
It’s after The Celeb Report revealed a trio of professionals embroiled in the anti-vax storm have said they would rather quit than be jabbed.
Ahead of the first live show this weekend, the BBC has released a statement making clear they are NOT enforcing stars to be vaccinated in order to compete.
A spokesman said: “A lot has been written about vaccinations and Strictly in recent days.
“The BBC has never commented nor confirmed the vaccination status of anyone on the show. It’s not our place to.
“It is not the case that concerns have been raised with the BBC or the Strictly production team from dancers or celebrities about vaccination, or that they have threatened to quit.
“We have in place strict procedures to protect those on the show and the wider production.
“Among the many measures in place on Strictly, the dancers are tested regularly to be in close contact with their partners.
“The cast, crew and everyone working on Strictly are focused on this weekend’s first live show and delivering another brilliant series.”
Insiders claimed the trio are steadfast in their decisions to not have a Covid vaccination.
It comes after former Strictly stars and Prime Minister Boris Johnson waded into the row.
Now the BBC is defending the pro-dancers’ vaccination status – or lack of.
But former Strictly legend James Jordan has called on the Beeb to name the those turning down the jab – and throw them off the show.
And the angry celeb partner of one of the three dancers refusing to have it told pals: “We should have been protected.”
It emerged the star – a household name on TV – had no idea their new partner was unvaccinated while training together.
The celeb – who is pro-vaccine – was furious at the failure of BBC bosses to secure their medical safety despite tough Covid bubble measures.
A friend 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 couple have already spent tens of hours practising together. Clearly, there is a lot of anger and a lot of questions to be asked.”
The Celeb Report exclusively revealed last week that two professional dancers on the show had not been vaccinated, Earlier this week we also revealed a third was also unjabbed.
There is concern among the show’s other pro dancers and celebrities as well as make-up artists, camera operators, costume staff, and other departments who work closely with the performers.
A source said: “The three dancers have made their positions crystal clear — they’d rather quit than have the jab. There is mounting pressure upon them to be vaccinated but they are refusing to budge.
“Ultimately being vaccinated was not a re- quirement for the dancers on this year’s show.
“While other television companies have made this policy, it is not at the BBC.
“Obviously no one could have foreseen the upset it has caused.
“No one can make the dancers have the jab but some people have asked them to reconsider for the sake of the show. At Strictly they treat each other as a big family. They are normally a unified team and when a few of the team aren’t singing off the same hymn sheet it causes issues.”
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