SHOULD Strictly Come Dancing come to an end?

That was the question being debated on Good Morning Britain (GMB) today (Tuesday, July 16) following controversies with professional dancers on the show.

The ITV morning show saw Richard Madeley, Kate Garraway, Neev Spencer and Stephanie Takyi discuss the topic.

This was after pro dancer Graziano Di Prima was dramatically dropped from the line-up for the 2024 series despite being confirmed to return last month.

It’s been claimed Di Prima’s departure followed unspecified allegations made by those working on the show who had observed Di Prima’s rehearsals with TV star Zara McDermott, whom he was partnered with on the 2023 series, The Independent reports.

Di Prima released a statement on Instagram, saying: “I deeply regret the events that led to my departure from Strictly. My intense passion and determination to win might have affected my training regime.

“While respecting the BBC HR process, I acknowledge it’s only right for the sake of the show that I step away. I am saddened that I wasn’t allowed to offer a quote to the online news stories, and I take on board the sensitivity of the situation.”

Alongside that, a controversy emerged with Giovanni Pernice who was paired up with actress Amanda Abbington on last year's series.

Just five weeks into the competition, Abbington abruptly pulled out on medical grounds, and then in January, she revealed she had been diagnosed with mild PTSD.

Reports claimed she’d requested rehearsal footage and was seeking legal advice, and a few months later Pernice released a lengthy statement on Instagram.

He said that he “reject[ed] any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour” and that he “look[ed] forward to clearing [his] name”. 

When the Strictly pro-line-up was confirmed a few weeks later, Pernice was not on the list.

Strictly Comes Dancing is a show known for its warmth and the question GMB debated was if it had lost its sparkle due to the controversies and should come to an end.

Should Strictly Come Dancing end?

Broadcaster Spencer made the claim that Strictly hadn't been the same since Bruce Forsyth stopped hosting and that the show had become a "media vehicle for gossip instead of it being about talent".

Meanwhile, journalist Takyi said it was mainly a "feel-good" show that has always had its controversies and argued that "the mistakes of two dancers" shouldn't impact the entire production.

The debate continued into the GMB comments of an X (formerly Twitter) post where a poll was listed asking for people's opinions on the topic.

There were some mixed views, with one person writing: "Strictly is a vile programme with terrible presenters and egotistical dancers. Ditch it!"

Meanwhile, another shared: "No! The "celebs" who are going on there now think they are going for an easy ride and some screen time, all of a sudden they then realise it is actually bloody hard work and cry my dance partner is working me to [sic] hard and shouting at me!"

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One commented that these incidents shouldn't take away from the rest of the work done by the crew to bring the show together.

They said: "It’s unfortunate that this very small cloud is pulling focus away from a truly magical show. There are still 100s of people who work so hard on the show. It will be back bigger and stronger than ever."

On the other hand, some people shared they were simply bored of Strictly, with one posting: "I think it's had it's time now. Running out of celebrities same as Dancing on Ice. I used to love both those programmes but don't bother watching them anymore."