Why are Strictly's Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly staying silent?

Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly have been notably silent as the Strictly scandal has rumbled on.

The TV hosts have stayed out of the BBC show's crisis. Strictly has been under a microscope in recent weeks following the fallout of the allegations of misconduct. As Amanda Abbington prepares for her next job, the actor gave emotional TV interviews where she accused Giovanni Pernice of bullying again amid the ongoing investigation. Pernice has rejected "any claims of threatening or abusive behaviour".

BBC bosses sacked Graziano Di Prima from the Strictly 2024 line-up after it came to light during their investigations into the BBC show that the dancer had kicked Zara McDermott. Di Prima has returned to Italy and his representative said: "He knows he's made a mistake. He apologised at the time."

McDermott was invited to be interviewed by the BBC after allegations about Di Prima's misconduct towards her were reportedly raised by production staff. She told the world: "I have wrestled with the fear of opening up - I was scared about public backlash, I was scared about my future, I was scared of victim shaming."

Preparing for Strictly's 20th series

As the conversation around the show grows ahead of the 20th series, the TV presenters have stayed quiet about the headlines. Winkleman shared no words but she did however post a string of hearts beneath the picture of the Strictly pros at their first rehearsals before the series starts. Daly didn't comment but her husband Vernon Kay voiced his support for the show. "Yes Team!!!!" He wrote alongside a fire emoji.

While the allegations threaten to overshadow the 2024 series of Strictly, extraordinary preparations are underway to make sure the 20th series is the best yet. In June, it was confirmed of course the presenting duo Daly and Winkleman would be back on our screens in September for Strictly. Daly has hosted every Strictly Come Dancing show since it was first on our screens in 2004. Winkleman joined the franchise from 2014, taking over from the now late Bruce Forsyth, and the friends remain closer than ever.

Read: Strictly Come Dancing 2024 line-up rumours, start date and more

Strictly stars speaking out

Past and present professional dancers have addressed the ongoing drama while doing interviews ahead of the new series. Current pros Dianne Buswell and Vito Coppola discussed teaching styles in June as Abbington has accused Pernice of "militant" methods in rehearsals. Meanwhile, Gorka Marquez revealed how the Strictly stars reacted to Pernice's exit after nine years. The longest serving pro Karen Hauer spoke about the show's future too.

Kristina Rihanoff and James Jordan are among the former pros who have spoken openly about their time on the show as well as what has been reported in the headlines. The latest former pro to speak out was Camilla Sacre-Dallerup, who said she feels protective of the Strictly professional dancers as she compared herself to a "mamma bear".

The Strictly judges have also tackled the Strictly crisis head on in interviews. Craig Revel Horwood admitted he was shocked by the allegations. "It’s a shock and news to me," he said. Anton Du Beke hasn't spoken out about the claims but he has continued his live tour with Pernice who he remains good friends with.

It was reported head judge Shirley Ballas had been told off behind the scenes for weighing in on the drama. The head judge has shown her public support for dancer Pernice and she taught dancing at one of his Ballando classes alongside Du Beke.

In June, she told The Mirror: "My feeling for Giovanni is, let them do this investigation or whatever it is they are doing and the truth will come out. So we don’t judge anybody until I know absolutely 100 per cent. I won’t pass on the gossip unless I know 100 per cent it is true. I have never ever, ever experienced any ill will or bad feeling or bad sportsmanship or rudeness from him. He will be missed."

Where have Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman been?

As Daly and Winkleman remain quiet, it begs the question, what have the Strictly presenters been up to in this time?

Winkleman has been away for three weeks filming The Traitors series 3 at Ardross Castle in the Scottish Highlands. BBC confirmed The Traitors series three has been filmed and remains under tight wraps ahead of its release date in January 2025.

The TV host will be spending plenty of time with her children too. Rylan took over her job at BBC Radio 2 in March earlier this year so she could hang out with her kids when she's not on screen. She said: "The truth is my children are growing up inordinately fast so I have decided to follow them around at home before they leave for good. I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who works on the show, I will continue to visit with badly made biscuits and will pester the bosses to present the odd special."

This summer, Daly has been focussing on feeling "grateful" and enjoying moments with her family out of the spotlight. It's not been all relaxation though as she has been working hard on her swimwear line that she runs with her friend and former swimsuit model Gayle Lawton.

The presenter has shared glimpses of her sun-soaked summer with her Instagram following including a gorgeous break in Ibiza to film her upcoming Naia Beach campaign.

Yahoo reached out to Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly's representatives as well as the BBC for further comment.

After Abbington's interviews, the BBC said in a statement: "Anyone involved in a complaint has a right to confidentiality and fair process and therefore it would be inappropriate to comment further on individuals. However, when issues are raised with us we always take them extremely seriously and have appropriate processes in place to manage this. As we have said before, we would urge people not to indulge in speculation.

"More generally, the BBC and BBC Studios takes duty of care extremely seriously. Our processes on Strictly Come Dancing are updated every year, they are kept under constant review and last week we announced additional steps to further strengthen welfare and support on the show."

This article originally appeared on Yahoo TV UK at https://uk.news.yahoo.com/strictly-claudia-winkleman-tess-daly-silent-100025572.html