The BBC responds to latest Strictly Come Dancing controversy

The BBC has responded after Strictly Come Dancing was hit with another controversy over the weekend, this time over the editing of a T-shirt.

Actor Bethany Antonia, known for playing Lady Baela Targaryen in House of the Dragon, is currently competing on the show with Nancy Xu as her professional dance partner.

In a video uploaded to social platforms before Saturday's show, Antonia was seen rehearing in a white T-shirt featuring a 'Protect the Dolls' slogan. The message shows support for the trans community, with celebrities such as Pedro Pascal and Madonna having worn it at various events.

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However, when it came to Saturday's live show, the rehearsal footage was shown with the slogan edited out, with Antonia's T-shirt looking like it was plain white.

Meanwhile, the social video without the edit has been deleted, and an edited version was uploaded in its place.

This has led to a backlash against the BBC, with former ITV newsreader and Celebrity Big Brother contestant India Willoughby among those voicing displeasure.

A response from the BBC issued to Digital Spy reads: "As is standard practice on any entertainment show on the BBC and in line with our editorial guidelines, appropriate steps are taken to reduce the inclusion of any overt branding or slogans that may be present, regardless of the wording or statement in question."

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The BBC is currently under fire from the LGBTQ+ community after I Kissed a Boy and I Kissed a Girl came to an end after just two seasons of each and RuPaul's Drag Race UK was announced to be leaving to go to WOW Presents Plus instead.

Digital Spy has also reached out to Bethany Antonia's reps for further comment about the T-shirt edit.

Strictly Come Dancing airs weekends on BBC One and iPlayer, and It Takes Two airs weekdays on BBC Two.

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Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he's covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small. A big fan of TV and movies both mainstream and obscure, Joe also enjoys video games and in particular PlayStation. Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I'm a Fish.