Strictly's Nick Knowles: 'It's important people are heard'

Strictly Come Dancing contestant Nick Knowles has said it is "important" that complaints are listened to, after a number of celebrities made claims about their treatment on the show.

The presenter of DIY SOS is one of 15 famous faces taking part in the new series, which kicks off later this month.

The hit BBC show is now in its 20th year, but it has faced a rocky few months with Amanda Abbington and Zara McDermott among those speaking up about their experiences.

"It's important that people are listened to, and they have been, so that seems to me all good," Knowles said.

Other celebrity contestants, speaking at a press event for the new series, praised the new measures that have been introduced to bolster welfare on the show following the allegations.

The new steps, outlined by the BBC in July, include placing chaperones in all future rehearsals.

Eighties popstar Toyah Willcox said the Strictly team had "done absolutely everything" to make this series a good experience for them.

"We have people with us all the time," she told journalists at Strictly's press launch. "We have an openness that we can talk immediately if we have any concerns."

Willcox, who is known for hits including I Want to Be Free, added: "I can't bear the thought of anyone suffering anything but we've all come into this knowing what's expected of us, and it is 100% commitment."

Former Love Islander Tasha Ghouri agreed, saying it was "about moving forward".

"It's about our own experiences really," she added.

Meanwhile, Chris McCausland, who is the show's first blind contestant, said he signed up for Strictly before any of the allegations had hit the news.

He welcomed the move to introduce chaperones, joking: "It's an extra person to show me where the toilet is."

The 2024 line-up was announced last month, with other celebrities including actor and singer Shayne Ward, and Sam Quek, an Olympic hockey player and TV presenter.

This year's line-up also includes two reality TV show stars, Ghouri and Pete Wicks from The Only Way Is Essex, as Strictly continues to try and attract younger audiences.

Training is currently under way, and Quek said it was "going well" although added it had been at times been "overwhelming" for her.

"It's the first time I've had mind blanks, you know when you're trying to remember something and you think you've got the routine, and then all of a sudden you go blank," she said.

"I'm completely out of my comfort zone," said Paul Merson, a former professional footballer and manager who now works as a pundit for Sky Sports.

"There have been a couple of dances today which are hard, I'm not going to lie," he added.

McCausland said that because he can't see his fellow contestants dancing, he'd assumed everyone else was "amazing" and he was the only one making mistakes.

"I've asked people, can you let me know everyone else's faults," he joked.

Other contestants this year include three-time Olympic champion Tom Dean, who accidentally revealed his participation during an interview last month before the official announcement.

"I'd literally gotten out of the pool one minute, before racing in the Olympic final... and then I got fired that Strictly question," he said.

"I wasn't really 100% dialled in on what I should be saying. Little slip of the tongue."

He described Strictly training so far as "intense" but "a lot more fun" than preparing for the Olympics. "But you're still training hard, you've still got a competition you're trying to work for, and you want to do well."

The new series of Strictly follows a storm of controversy over the experiences of some contestants and former staff on the BBC show.

An investigation, launched by the BBC following allegations made about Giovanni Pernice by former dance partner Amanda Abbington, will reportedly conclude soon.

Pernice has denied any allegations of abusive or threatening behaviour. He will not be returning for the show's series this year.

Another professional dancer, Graziano Di Prima, has also left the show.

His spokesman admitted to BBC News that Di Prima had kicked his partner Zara McDermott in a rehearsal last year.

Last month, a BBC News investigation heard allegations of a "toxic culture" from some former junior staff on the show, although other workers told a positive story of dancers and crew who were kind and respectful to them.

Addressing the allegations, new contestant JB Gill said they have not changed his perception of the show.

"A lot of those incidents would've been standalone incidents," the JLS singer said.

"While of course in those situations they all have their own validity, I just feel like we're going into it, it's a unique situation," he said.

"And I think especially given what's happened in the past, the show's definitely put steps in place now to hopefully avoid any further situations like that."

The singer took part in the Strictly Christmas special over a decade ago, where he was crowned winner after dancing a jive.

But he said he was looking forward to "getting to grips" with other dance routines such as ballroom and Latin.

"I'm very much a blank canvas and looking forward to getting stuck in."

This series of Strictly has been billed as the most accessible yet, with live signing for the first time available on BBC iPlayer and red button.

Ghouri, who was born deaf and campaigns to raise awareness for the deaf community, is the second deaf contestant to dance on the show, following in the footsteps of glitterball trophy winner, Rose Ayling-Ellis.

She called the move to introduce live signing "amazing" and said it was part of what makes Strictly "so special".

"And you've got Chris as well, Chris is absolutely smashing it and making me smile," she said.

"It's so great that they're working so hard to make it accessible for everyone. That's what it should be about, making everyone feel included and inclusive."

The Strictly Come Dancing 2024 launch show will air on Saturday 14 September at 19:20 on BBC One & BBC iPlayer.