Strictly Come Dancing’s future was thrown into question this year after the show became caught up in a scandal.
However, the BBC favourite is returning to screens this weekend for its 20th anniversary series, and while it’s been a tough year for the show, long-term star Karen Hauer has insisted it “doesn’t need to change”.
Last year, actress Amanda Abbington was paired with Giovanni Pernice, who had starred as a professional dancer since 2015.
However, the Sherlock star, 52, opted to pull out of the series during week five, later coming forward to accuse Pernice, 34, of being “abusive”.
A long-running BBC investigation was eventually sparked, and Pernice has now left the show. As part of the probe, his fellow professional dancer Graziano Di Prima, 30, was also axed.
The scandal left the show’s future uncertain, but the BBC has explained it will be introducing new measures this year, such as the use of chaperones.
Hauer, 42, shared her thoughts when asked about how the next 20 years could look for the competition series.
“The show has been evolving over the past few years,” the Latin dance specialist and World Mambo Champion, explained.
“We get different dancers, different choreographers. The public is so used to what we offer.
“The best thing about Strictly is that it keeps its magic. It doesn’t change too much, which is nice – people like that. It’s like the warm blanket you had growing up.”
Predicting the direction the show will take in the future, she continued: “I think that will always stay.
“Strictly is the beating heart of television; it keeps everyone coming back. It’s a nice feeling, and I think that’s what it’ll continue to do.
“It’ll keep bringing joy, continue to bring exciting new ideas, but it will always stay the same in essence.
“There’s a tradition we’ve never lost, and I think that will always remain. Of course, everything else changes as the world changes, and we keep up with the times, but I don’t think it needs to change very much because it’s already a beautiful show.”
When asked if she does anything specific to prepare for a live show, Hauer, who is now the longest-serving dancer, having joined the show in 2012, replied: “No, but I like to hide.
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“I need time because there’s so much going on – you’re doing makeup, hair, practicing with your celebrity, dealing with costumes.
“There’s a moment where I just need like 10 minutes for myself. I usually just find a corner in the girls’ room – there’s always a little corner with a sofa, which is always my corner.
“We all pick our little corners, and I put my music on, or I watch something, and I just keep to myself for a bit.
“I think a lot of us are like that. I don’t have any good luck charms, but I think my celebrity is my lucky charm.
“If anything, it’s whoever I’m dancing with that I do something with to make them feel comfortable. For me, it’s just another day at work.”
