Strictly Come Dancing rules exposed – hidden tattoos to cosmetic surgery ban
While taking part in Strictly Come Dancing is a dream for many celebrities up and down the country, the BBC One show doesn’t come without it’s struggles.
During the 14-week stint, the star-studded cast are forced to endure long hours in the training rooms each week perfecting their ballroom performances to wow the judging panel and the voting public.
But what many viewers may not know is the lengthy list of rules the celebrities and their professional dance partners must follow during their time on the show.
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As stars dance their hearts out to some of the biggest musicals to dominate West End theatres, Daily Star has lifted the lid on the secret Strictly rules you never knew existed.
Wardrobe rules
Despite what many viewers may believe, contestants and dancers on the show do not get to take home their lavish outfits after performing their impressive dance routines on the show.
Instead, pre-loved dresses are passed on to dance companies and other retailers so that they can be used again – after all, it would be a shame to see all those sequins go to waste.
But that doesn’t mean contestants haven’t successfully pinched an outfit or two from under telly bosses' noses, after Ruth Langsford broke the rules after she took home one of her long blonde wig’s and a beautiful costume from the show.
The This Morning presenter confessed: “I am just borrowing it because I love it so much. [It felt] amazing.
“I have never had longhair in my life. My hair is so fine, I grow it to about here [points to her shoulders].”
And she’s not the only person who has taken home a jaw-dropping outfit from the show, after Stacey Dooley admitted to taking home one show-stopping outfit during an appearance on the My Wardrobe Malfunction podcast.
She told listeners: “I nicked the Showdance dress. I tell you what will happen: my agent will get an email from Strictly wardrobe department asking can we have the Showdance outfit back?
“They recycle everything, I think I had Debbie McGee’s bra at one point,” she joked.
Hiding tattoos
Some of the rules dancers and celebs must follow don’t even come from BBC bosses themselves throughout the history of the ballroom competition.
Before the talent competition started dancing to Disney songs, telly bosses had to seek permission from Walt Disney who said they could only use the material if they kept the image of the songs “in the spirit of Disney”.
A TV source later told Mirror Online: “Disney wanted to make sure the performance was in keeping with their brand.
“The display included some trademark characters, like Flounder from the Little Mermaid and Simba from the Lion King.”
Former Strictly pro dancer AJ Pritchard later clarified that only select stars who were tattoo free could flash some skin while performing a Disney number on the show.
He told the publication: “You can’t have tattoos if you want to perform a Disney number.
“I don’t have any so Disney allowed me to take my top off. The others all have tattoos so they had to have their tops on. I feel a bit bad for them,” he joked.
Surgery ban
It may sound like an obvious one, but dancers are not allowed to do their own hair or makeup when competing on the BBC One dance show.
But that’s not all, stars are also banned from going under the knife for any cosmetic surgery during their time on the show.
And it’s not just because Ant McPartlin’s ex-wife Lisa Armstrong – who is the head makeup artist on the TV show – is super possessive about continuity on the show.
Strictly stars are restricted from significantly changing their appearance throughout the course of the series in order to keep the time in the makeup chair short.
If stars come in with swelling or bruising from a significant operation or injury, the contestants could set back the show by a few hours while the makeup team work their magic to mask the changes to their faces and bodies.
Voting vetos
Another rule that Strictly stars must follow that may seem obvious to some, is that contestants are restricted from taking extreme measures to win votes outside of the show.
Avid fans of the show may regularly follow their favourite stars from the BBC show as contestants regularly share behind-the-scenes content throughout the week in the build-up to the Saturday’s big show.
But what eagle-eyed viewers may notice is that contestants can only ask for the general public to vote for them while the BBC show is on the airwaves in order to make the votes fair for each celebrity couple.
According to the Mirror Online, stars cannot take “action to try to manipulate the public vote … such as setting up a call centre … or taking out a national-advertising campaign” to boost their odds.
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