It’s the deliciously glitzy dance show which throws together celebrities in a riot of sequins and spray tans.
Strictly is such an immersive experience that the current crop of contestants have become so close they’ve set up a WhatsApp group to share their ups and downs as they compete for the glitterball.
But it’s not all hugs and kisses. There are some tensions bubbling away behind the cha cha chas and the jives because, I can reveal, the Class of ’25 has learned that there are quite significant pay disparities between them.
Unlike other reality shows, such as ITV’s I’m A Celebrity or Celebrity Big Brother, the fees paid by Strictly are kept very quiet. However, this year wages have been discussed – and the revelations over who’s paid what have left some feeling very disappointed.
Thomas Skinner, the Essex businessman who owns a mattress company, is by far the lowest paid – likely to pocket only around £15,000 for his stint on the show. Meanwhile, Dani Dyer, who was forced to quit Strictly ten days ago after she fractured her ankle, is understood to have received the highest pay cheque.
While Thomas, who has hands down brought the show the most column inches courtesy of his affair with single mum Amy-Lucy O’Rourke three years ago, Strictly is such a huge commitment for him that he is having to juggle his day job with training.
Dani Dyer, who was forced to quit Strictly ten days ago after she fractured her ankle, is understood to have received the highest pay cheque
Should he stay in the competition, he will get a ‘top up’ and if he was to make the final then he would be paid another bonus but, even so, that rate would be less than that of his his co-stars.
‘Thomas would never have said no, but he is by far the lowest earner and it means that he has to keep up with other commitments,’ says a friend of the former Apprentice star.
‘He has been training like a warrior and he is giving it his all but it’s hard to know that you are still having to work outside the show when others aren’t.
‘Thomas is understanding to a point but some of the others are absolutely fuming that they are earning less for doing the same work. It might look like a jolly job but it’s tough in those rehearsal rooms. It is genuinely blood, sweat and tears, in some cases, lots of them.’
The fall-out comes as the celebrities come together at the show’s studios in Elstree, Hertfordshire, on Saturday for their second outing on the dancefloor. It is the first week that there will be an eviction, meaning that whoever goes will only receive the first tranche of money.
While the BBC is funded by the licence fee payer and would therefore come under scrutiny for what it pays talent, Strictly is made by its commercial arm, BBC Studios, which is allowed to keep salaries confidential.
This arm’s-length arrangement also means that BBC Studios can splash cash like their rivals at ITV who pay huge sums for celebrities to take part on their show. Nigel Farage was reportedly paid an eye-watering £1.5million to star on I’m A Celebrity two years ago.
Thomas Skinner, the Essex businessman who owns a mattress company, is by far the lowest paid – likely to pocket only around £15,000 for his stint on the show
Actress Alex Kingston, who is a veteran of big TV series such as ER and Doctor Who, is also up near the top of the list as she will have given up work to take part
My Strictly source reveals: ‘The sliding scale of earning is pretty huge, of course some are bigger names than others but we are talking a big contrast here and in some cases it is not fair at all.
‘Some have managed to negotiate big sums, others not so and there is, in places, some ill feeling. It can be six months’ work for some so to get paid a low wage isn’t exactly great and it is going to grate.
‘So often it has been assumed that all of the celebrities are earning the same because it is the BBC but it is simply not the case at all. People get what they are worth and what their agents can get them when they are negotiating and some of the sums will surprise those watching at home.’
As well as Dani, the Love Island star and daughter of actor Danny Dyer, Vicky Pattison is up there with the highest earners from the dance series.
While she may not be a household name as such, despite winning I’m A Celebrity back in 2015, Vicky, star of MTV’s now defunct reality show Geordie Shore, qualified for a generous fee because, sources tell me, she has a big Instagram following.
Actress Alex Kingston, who is a veteran of major TV series such as ER and Doctor Who, is also up near the top of the list as she will have given up work to take part.
Even YouTuber George Clarke, 25, is highly paid because he has such a huge online following and is particularly popular with young people, a key demographic the BBC is keen to attract.
Former Premier League footballer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink is also being paid well because the BBC are ‘always after a big- name footballer but so few will do it’.
Despite winning I’m A Celebrity back in 2015, Vicky Pattinson, star of MTV’s now defunct reality show Geordie Shore, qualified for a generous fee because, sources tell me, she has a big Instagram following
As for Amber Davies, Dani’s stand-in, she is said to be being paid a ‘pretty decent wage’ because she had just 24 hours to get ready for last week’s live show.
However, drag queen La Voix – real name Christopher Dennis – is understood to be lower down the pay list because so many of her rivals would have jumped at the chance of taking part. Strictly sources tell me that this has created some difficulties because she earns a very lucrative living on cruise ships.
Ross King, the Los Angeles correspondent on ITV show Lorraine, is also ‘right down there’ with his fee, according to my sources.
As for the BBC’s own talent, such as EastEnders actress Balvinder Sopal, they are paid ‘somewhere in the middle’ and have been known in the past to have to carry on filming throughout their time on the dance programme.
‘So many factors come into play when they are sorting out their deals for Strictly,’ explains my source. ‘Of course, some get very greedy, they think they are more famous than they are and they get slapped down by the BBC.
‘But they argue factors such as their social media following, be it TikTok or Instagram, their engagement with their followers and even the age group of those who are following them have an impact. You would never think that Vicky would be a high earner but she is. Or George for that matter but society has changed.’
While the BBC declines to comment on what they pay its Strictly stars, they do go to great pains to insist that their budget is far less than other networks – not only ITV but also Netflix, who last year paid stars what was described as ‘crazy money’ for its line-up on Celebrity Bear Hunt, the reality series in which the likes of Spice Girl Mel B, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen were Lottie Moss are hunted down by survival expert Bear Grylls.
‘More people watch Strictly than most other reality shows, especially, say Big Brother, which really does pay its talent high amounts,’ said one BBC source. ‘We at least try to keep things in perspective. There is a budget and there is a sliding scale.’
Only as one Strictly celebrity tells me: ‘It’s not as fun as you’d think if it’s you at the bottom of that slide.’
