Anton Du Beke has said that the next series of Strictly Come Dancing could be pushed back from its usual start date in September due to the coronavirus pandemic.
He appeared as a guest on Good Morning Britain this morning, joining Ben Shepherd and former Strictly contestant Susanna Reid, who asked about the status of the 2020 series amid current social distancing guidelines.
Du Beke went on to explain the timeline of a typical year on Strictly, stating that the upcoming series could be delayed if necessary for the safety of all involved.
He said: "The pros start in August, but that's the pro numbers. We're in group dance rehearsals then.
"We're just putting together the numbers that we do during the series.
"The celebrities don't get involved until the beginning of September and then the live shows start a bit further into September, so I suppose there's a contingency there that we could just push the whole thing back and we can forego the group dance rehearsals."
Du Beke added: "There are some contingencies available I think, with timings there's a bit of flexibility. Hopefully, we'll be able to do some studio stuff by then and the lockdown will be over, but no one knows anything yet because the lockdown is still going on."
On Monday, Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood revealed the producers of the series are exploring options to keep it on the air, hinting there could be "some way around" the exceptional circumstances.
