A BBC spokesperson has defended the gender imbalance in this year’s Strictly Come Dancing line-up.
BBC unveiled the final three celebrity contestants on Monday, announcing that DIY SOS presenter Nick Knowles, former footballer Paul Merson and hockey player Sam Quek would be taking part in the competition.
The full line-up also features actors Jamie Borthwick, Sarah Hadland, Shayne Ward and Toyah Willcox, reality stars Pete Wicks and Tasha Ghouri, athletes Tom Dean and Montell Douglas, comedian Chris McCausland, JLS star JB Gill and TV personalities Wynne Evans and Dr. Punam Krishan.
Some social media users pointed out the gender imbalance on Monday, noting that there are nine male contestants and only six female.
Defending this year’s line-up, a BBC spokesperson told Metro.co.uk, “We are really excited about this year’s line up and look forward to the series starting.
“There are many factors that influence the casting process to ensure we have a good mix of celebrities from a broad range of backgrounds. There is no hard and fast rule regarding the gender split on the show and it’s never been about ticking boxes.”
This year’s 20th anniversary edition will be judged by Craig Revel Horwood, Anton Du Beke, Motsi Mabuse and Shirley Ballas.
Professional dancers AljaĹž Ĺ korjanec and Amy Dowden are returning to the ballroom alongside regulars Dianne Buswell, Nadiya Bychkova, Karen Hauer, Katya Jones, Gorka Marquez, Johannes Radebe, Kai Widdrington, and Vito Coppola, among others.
Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima will not participate in this year’s series due to allegations about their alleged behaviour in the training room. They have largely denied the claims and an investigation is ongoing.
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