“It’s Strictly’s 20th anniversary this year, we’ve been on telly for 20 years!” said a beaming Tess Daly when she picked up the show’s Bafta for best entertainment programme in May.
After a seemingly triumphant 2023 series, the Strictly team was ebullient, ready to celebrate two decades at the forefront of British popular culture in 2024. But a cloud has engulfed Strictly’s sequined world, after the BBC confirmed last month that Giovanni Pernice would not be part of the professional lineup for this year’s series.
