Strictly pro dancers form a ‘union’ to demand more money from BBC bosses

They've had enough.

Strictly Come Dancing has just returned to our screens and there’s already drama in the BBC. According to reports, the professional dancers are forming an unofficial union in a fight for an increase in pay. The stars currently earn £50,000 per series but are demanding more from the BBC for the huge amount of work they put in. In comparison, the Strictly judges are said to earn between £150,000 and £250,000 for their part in the show. The dancers have now come together in a bid to get more money.

“The professionals have been talking among themselves and are going to come together to ask Strictly bosses for a pay rise,” a source told The Sun. “They put in incredible hours rehearsing both with their celebrities and also group routines. "A lot of them are putting in 10 hour days which is a lot of dancing.”

The source also revealed that the dancers haven’t received a pay rise in years despite the show going from strength to strength.

“Some of them are now almost better known than the celeb contestants and they feel that should lead to more cash – especially when the judges get paid so much just for turning up once a week,” they added.

This move comes three years after Bruno Tonioli hit out at the professional dancers for complaining about the money they were earning.