CELEBRITIES or pros who catch Covid during this year’s competition may not have to leave the dancefloor.
Chief Executive Sarah James has confirmed new isolation rules mean the show might not see a repeat of the Nicola Adams and Katya Jones saga in 2020.
Strictly’s first same sex couple forced to quit the show after the Russian pro received a positive test midway through the competition.
She explains: “Last year the isolation period if you received a positive test was 14 days and this year it’s ten days so if a celebrity does receive a positive test, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re out of the competition.”
Sarah also confirmed the pros have been living in a hotel together “in a household” where they have been pre-recording most of the group routines.
Once live shows are underway, they will then bubble up with their celebrity partners and sit together in the audience on their own tables, just like last year.
Strictly bosses have been able to change the rules because a ten day isolation period may only mean competitors have to bow out of one stage of the contest.
Whereas last year’s 14 day isolation period meant they would have to miss two, and that was viewed by producers as an unfair amount of time to leave the competition.
But the ten day isolation period could still be problematic if a competitor is unlucky enough to have their ten day isolation cover two episodes of the show.
