THIS autumn, Strictly Come Dancing is set to return to our screens - and not without controversy.
For its 20th anniversary, the show will be looking to pull out all the stops, especially given the scandals it has faced over the last few months.
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Show bosses have come under fire for presiding over a toxic work environment where celebrities were subjected to alleged bullying and physical abuse at the hands of professional dancers.
The crisis led many to wonder whether celebrities would be willing to sign up and if the BBC show could survive.
Since then, however, producers have assembled a fresh list of celebrities, including pop superstars, sports legends, and reality TV favourites, to quell the backlash.
Although each celebrity gets a fee of £25,000, which rises as they progress on the show, these stars have already amassed incredible fortunes for themselves.
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From podcasting to lucrative deals and wise investments, they have capitalised on their fame to earn millions of pounds.
Here, we take a look at the richest stars from this year's Strictly Come Dancing.
Toyah Willcox
Toyah Willcox is one of the biggest names set to compete for the glitter ball on this year's Strictly.
With a career that has spanned nearly 50 years, with hits including 'It's A Mystery’, ‘I Want to Be Free’ and ‘Brave New World', it's no surprise that she's worth £12million.
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The 66-year-old rock legend has had eight top 40 singles, has released 20 studio albums, and has written two books.
She is also a well-respected actress and has appeared in over ten movies and 40 stage plays.
Toyah Willcox Joins Strictly Come Dancing after admiring Angela Rippon's performances
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In the 1990s, she ventured into TV presenting and has made a sizeable fortune with stints on shows such as This Morning and Watchdog Healthcheck.
Toyah even did some voice work on Teletubbies and was one of The Voice Trumpets.
In recent years, she has continued her work as a TV personality, appearing on shows such as Celebrity Mastermind and Catchphrase.
Nick Knowles
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For years, Nick Knowles - worth £7.3million - has been one of the BBC's most dependable personalities.
He has presented shows such as Who Dares Wins, Break the Safe, and 5-Star Family Reunion.
But he's most known as the host of DIY SOS, which he has fronted since 1999.
In 2018, he appeared on I'm A Celebrity, which netted him a staggering £200,000. The previous year, a report said that he was getting paid between £300,000 and £349,000 at the BBC.
Not one to rest on his laurels, Nick has also explored other streams of income. In 2017, he released his debut album and was credited as a co-writer on the film Golden Years in 2016.
The 61-year-old is said to own a luxurious home in the Cotswolds, which has a massive garden. He is engaged to Katie Dadzie, 34.
Sam Quek
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Hockey star Sam Quek is known for winning a gold medal with Team GB's women's team at the Rio Olympics in 2016.
She is said to be worth £4million, but that isn't just from her career as a sports star. She has also established herself as a TV personality.
In 2016, she appeared on I'm a Celebrity and was confirmed as a team captain on BBC's A Question of Sport in 2021. She was awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her contributions to hockey in 2017.
The Advertising Standards Authority criticised her in May 2020 for endorsing a brand without revealing that she was being paid for the promotion.
Sam is married to successful real estate investor Tom Mairs. He appeared on Secret Millionaire in 2010.
JB Gill
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As one of the most recognisable faces on this year's lineup, JB Gill, 37, has had an incredible career that began with his boyband JLS.
The quartet appeared on the X Factor in 2008 and, when they finished in second place, came close to being the first group to win the show.
After that, they went on to become bonafide superstars with a staggering five number-ones and a string of top-ten singles.
As a testament to their popularity, JB - worth around £3million - said: "When I was with JLS, we were paid five-figure and six-figure sums for private gigs where we would typically do sets lasting no more than 20 minutes. Obviously we'd split these fees four ways.
“Once, we were paid a huge amount to have dinner with a wealthy gentleman and his daughters. We didn't sing at all – we just ate with the family. That was pretty cool.”
JB has proved to be business savvy by investing in property. He has also found huge success running a turkey farm business.
Speaking about his triumphs as an investor, he said: "I bought my first buy-to-let house in Croydon, South London, in 2009 for £172,500 and sold it two years ago for £290,000.
"I bought a second one in 2011 for £182,500 and still own it. It's probably worth around £320,000. My parents always encouraged me to invest in property, and it's something I will encourage my children to do.”
Pete Wicks
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Pete, 36, was thrust into the spotlight thanks to his appearance on the ITV show The Only Way is Essex. Since then, he has become one of its breakthrough stars, worth £3million.
Pete's podcast, Staying Relevant, with his best friend Sam Thompson, has been a huge success for the duo. Launched in 2022, it has been nominated for several awards with over five million downloads.
It's managed to clinch the number-one spot on the comedy charts on numerous occasions. They've taken advantage of its popularity by taking it on tour. Their podcast brings in £15,000 a month.
As one of the most followed male reality stars, Pete has 1.7million followers and can earn £4,000 per sponsored post.
It hasn't been all rosy for Pete, however. He has had to shut down two of his firms due to debt. This week, it was revealed that his companies, such as PW Promotions, owed up to £1million.
Tom Dean
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Tom Dean is a hugely successful swimmer and has won three gold medals. In fact, he just won gold in the 4x200 relay at this year's Olympic Games.
The 24-year-old has represented Great Britain at several competitions, including the European Junior Championships, World Championships, and Commonwealth Games.
Tom won two gold medals at the2020 Tokyo Games.Two years later, he was appointed an MBEfor his services to swimming.
Dean, who is in a relationship with Charlotte Phillip, is reported to be worth £2.3million, largely thanks to the competitions he's participated in.
Shayne Ward
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According to Celebrity Net Worth, Shayne Ward is worth £2.3million.
The singer and actor won the X Factor in 2005 and scored a number one with the single That's My Goal.
Simon Cowell signed him to a recording contract worth over £700,000, which appears to have paid off for the music mogul as Shayne's debut album was certified four times platinum.
After subsequent successful music releases, Shayne, 39, decided to explore acting and joined Coronation Street as a regular cast member in 2015. Insiders claimed that he was being paid £80,000 a year.
Last year, he starred in The Good Ship Murder alongside Catherine Tyldesley.
Tasha Ghouri
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Tasha Ghouri, known for her background in dancing in music videos is set to light the Strictly ballroom on fire when the show returns.
The 25-year-old is worth £2million, which is very likely to shoot up after appearing on the show.
Her stint on Love Island opened many doors for her, including a lucrative deal with Mugler. She also became eBay's first-ever pre-loved ambassador.
She has also been making big money on social media, thanks to her army of 1.4 million Instagram followers and 885,000 TikTok followers.
She is able to earn £3,000 per sponsored post on Instagram and £1,200 per video on TikTok. She once earned £50,000 just to take photos for a brand and post online.
Earlier this year, Tasha revealed that she had bought her first home with her boyfriend Love Island boyfriend Andrew Le Page.
Paul Merson
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Former footballer Paul Merson was once one of the top sports stars in the UK with an impressive £12million fortune. But it all went downhill due to a drug and gambling addiction.
The Arsenal legend, 56, is said to have blown £7million on his addiction and ended up losing so much.
In an interview, he said: "I didn’t stop until, eventually, I’d lost everything I’d ever had – close to £7 million, including houses, cars, marriages, my entire pension and my self-respect"
His ex-wife Lorraine also told The Sun about how she felt when she found out he had lost so much money.
"We never had any money worries because he paid off his debts," she said.
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"But if you’re earning £10,000 a week and you’re a gambling addict, you’re going to spend £10,000. I wasn’t even angry when I found out how much he’d spent. I just felt helpless."
But Paul has now turned his life around and worked hard to recover from the dark days. He now works as a pundit on Sky Sports and has been incredibly popular with viewers.
Strictly's full scandal so far
Strictly Come Dancing's scandal has been growing over the past few months, with several major players speaking out about what went on. Here are the key moments of what's happened so far
16th May: Giovanni Pernice sensationally quits Strictly Come Dancing after nine years on the show.
17th May: Giovanni becomes the centre of an official investigation after three former partners –believed to be Amanda Abbington, Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh – make complaints to the BBC.
16th June: Giovanni releases an official statement vowing to clear his name and denies any wrongdoing.
8th July: Strictly confirms Aljaz Skorjanec will return to the series, replacing Giovanni, after initially quitting the show two years ago.
10th July: Amanda Abbington launches fresh legal proceedings to get the rehearsal footage from her time with Giovanni, after allegedly he refused to release the videos.
13th July: Graziano Di Prima is axed from Strictly for "gross misconduct" after footage of his treatment of Zara McDermott is brought to the attention of the BBC.
Graziano quickly broke his silence, apologising for his behaviour in a statement and saying he "deeply regrets it", adding his "intense passion and determination to win might have affected his training regime."
15th July: Strictly bosses implement new duty of care protocols, including having a chaperone present throughout all rehearsals.
16th July: Zara McDermott speaks out publicly for first time. She states while the production team were "amazing to work with", she found the rehearsal room "completely different", confirming there's footage of "certain situations".
19th July: Anton Du Beke is put under the spotlight for his "1970s attitude" and treatment of female celeb stars, particularly after allegedly referring to 2009 partner Laila Rouass as a "p***" after getting a spray tan.
21st July: Paralympian Will Bayley, who has limb condition arthrogryposis, revealed he was encouraged to leap from a table during a dance routine, despite fears. The stunt caused an injury that forced him to withdraw from the show.
22nd July: MasterChef's Gregg Wallace admits he broke down in tears and got a nasty stress rash on his face during his time on Strictly in 2014.
22nd July: Despite ongoing issues, the Strictly professional cast begin rehearsals for this year's series.
23rd July: Celebrity agent Melanie Blake claims she was sexually assaulted by an unnamed pro dancer while backstage on the show, and claims she witnessed ageism, rudeness and a rough treatment to the point of injury.
23rd July: Strictly is forced to beef up security after 'an intruder scales the wall of the rehearsal studio'.
23rd July: BBC boss Tim Davie breaks his silence on the ongoing allegations against Strictly, saying he is 'deeply sorry', adding: "Hundreds of people, be they pros,contestants or crew have been part of it and had a brilliant experience.
"At the same time if someone thinks there was something wrong or they want to talk about their experience then of course we want them to raise that with us. Be in no doubt we will take it seriously, listen and deal with it as appropriate."
24th July: Strictly 2023 star Krishnan Guru-Murthy holds a bombshell interview with Amanda Abbington on Channel 4 news, where she claims she was bullied, with some of the 'humilation being of a sexual nature'.
27th July: Laura Whitmore releases a statement regarding her Strictly experience, saying "I thought my experience was specific to me but I’ve since learned I was wrong".
She adds she is not part of the official complaint, but has come forward to support Amanda with the BBC, alongside others.
28th July: Laila Rouass speaks out against the accusations regarding Anton Du Beke, saying she "never felt pressured" by him and "personally insisted on six to seven hours training a day".
August 10: Graziano breaks his silence on his Strictly axe, saying "these vile, false allegations have ruined my life."
He also told of the "shocking" end to his friendship with Zara McDermott.
