Sarah Ferguson rejects Strictly Come Dancing offer with brutal reply
8 August 2024, 17:21 | Updated: 8 August 2024, 17:28
The Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, has turned down the offer to compete in this year's Strictly Come Dancing with a brutal reply.
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This year marks the programme's 20th anniversary special, but the Duchess of York won't be a participant.
Nevertheless, Ms Ferguson has frequently appeared on daytime TV, and was even a former guest presenter on ITV's This Morning, where she referred to herself as the "fluff" alongside hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary.
She also appeared on Loose Women in June, alongside Christine Lampard, Brenda Edwards, and Coronation Street's Sally Dynevor.
But a source at the Daily Express revealed the reason for Ms Ferguson's Strictly snub.
They explained: "There was an approach earlier this year. It was turned down immediately and no discussions took place. The Duchess doesn't consider reality TV offers."
In the meantime, Strictly has found itself in in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
Former celebrity participants Amanda Abbington, Laura Whitmore and Zara McDermott have spoken of their dance floor experiences, and the BBC is reportedly investigating dancer Giovanni Pernice, following claims made by Abbington, which the Italian pro denies.
The reality TV star Zara McDermott from Made in Chelsea also talked about how she finds viewing training room footage as "incredibly distressing", following Graziano Di Prima's departure from the show.
The royal family are said to be fans of Strictly, and previously Princess Anne told professional dancer Nadiya Bychkova that she would love to go on the BBC dance show.
Speaking to The Sun, Nadiya said: "She is a Strictly fan and she wants to go on the show - she told me.
"She did say that. I think she would be good — there’s a lot of personality there, isn’t there?"
Queen Camilla also enjoys Strictly, and the late Queen Elizabeth II was also said to be a fan.
Nadiya added: "They love it, and they watch it all the time. Whenever you see royals at events, they all know what's going on."
Last year, the Princess of Wales is thought to have made a secret visit to the show's set with Princess Charlotte and Louis.
They met the judges, some of the professional dancers and presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.
Speaking to The Sun, head judge Shirley Ballas explained: "They are [Charlotte and Louis] beautiful. When they visited we had these crowns on set, so I thought it would be a nice idea to give the little girl a crown and I got him a nice box of sweets. Then he went, 'I want one of those' and pointed at the crown."
“So we had to go and find him a little crown. They’re beautifully polite children. They had an absolute ball. We have photos, but I didn’t want to post them. I think it's more private for her. I was just glad she was able to come in and have a great day. They all watch Strictly."
