Strictly Come Dancing’s so-called curse is reportedly putting celebrities off from signing up.
Over the years, Strictly has become known for its supposed curse which can ‘ruin’ marriages.
And that reputation has left big stars turning down the series.
The Sun newspaper reports that stars are worried about putting their relationships to the test on the series.
“Strictly used to be show that no celebrity ever turned down. But the curse has changed all that,” a source said.
They added: “There is now a genuine concern that appearing on the show can negatively impact relationships.”
Singer Rick Astley this week revealed he rejected the show – and the curse was one of his concerns.
“But I don’t think I could do it, if I’m honest. Not really,” he said. “It takes a lot… and not to mention quite a few people have broken up over it.”
Former Strictly winner Caroline Flack previously said she understood why the show caused relationship issues.
While Caroline wasn’t a ‘victim of the curse’, she does have a theory as to why it happens – and it’s not what you’d expect.
She told the HuffPost UK: “People always say about the Strictly curse and people getting together because they must be getting sexy the whole time – it’s not because of that.
“It’s because you see each other at your worst.”
Caroline went on: “You’re grumpy, you’re sweaty and you build this team together, so I can see how people get together within the series.
“You spend so much time with each other, and you really only see each other for that whole week.”
But is there actually a curse? A 2014 study suggested the answer was in fact no.
John Moriarty, a maths lecturer at Manchester University, actually crunched the numbers.
They revealed that the divorce rate of actors, showman, dancers and choreographers was notably higher than the average person.
It appeared there was not really a Strictly curse but rather just a curse of celebrity marriages in general.
Strictly returns to BBC One later this year.
More on: Strictly Come Dancing
