Pixie Lott and Caroline Flack are said to be “furious” after being banned from the first week of rehearsals for Strictly Come Dancing.
According to The Sun, selected contestants have been left out of the first of three weeks of rehearsals in order to level the playing field in the ballroom dancing competition.
Other contestants including Tim Wonnacott, Gregg Wallace and Mark Wright are believed to have approached producers claiming that Lott and Flack both have an unfair advantage due to their previous dancing experience and as a result, both have been shut out of initial preparations for the show and will return to rehearsals in the second week.
“Some of the stars this year felt they had a real disadvantage. They didn’t waste any time making their feelings known. After several complaints, bosses decided they’d have to do something to ‘even the playing field’ a little,” said a source.
However, while there have been claims that the move has caused a rift between the group, the BBC has said that “Timings are dictated by contestants’ personal commitments. Production have not held back anyone’s rehearsal time”.