Strictly Come Dancing has been hit by a new crisis following several contestants testing positive for COVID-19 – and it could be their worst one yet.
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The beloved dancing competition is said to be running low on fake tan after the chemical supplies used to make the bronzer have reportedly dried up, and those that are available have seen prices soar from £12 to £103 per kg. The problem is said to have stemmed from a lack of workers and delivery issues due to a halt in production during the pandemic.
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This means that the demand for Ethoxydiglycol, a solvent used in fake tan, has significantly increased leading to a shortage, with experts warning that without the chemical, the skin is not able to absorb active ingredients as well.
Now BBC bosses have reportedly been left with no other choice but to import fake tan from the US.
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"It's awful," Carrie Marsh, Strictly's tanning guru told The Sun. "Some companies just can't get hold of it. Strictly won't be Strictly without the fake tan. The viewers and contestants love it. They will be mortified if they can't get their tan."
Strictly has become synonymous with fake tan, with the celebrity contestants, dancers, judges, and even co-hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman receiving a glowing top-up each week.
© Photo: InstagramJohn Whaite went for a darker spray tan this week
The show's makeup artists are said to go through at least 57 litres of fake tan each series.
It seems viewers don't have to worry about missing out on the stars' mahogany glows this week though. On Thursday, John Whaite took to his Instagram Stories to share a revealing snap of himself wearing nothing but his underwear after getting a fresh spray tan.
Seemingly taken before the news of the shortage, the baker admitted to going "darker" than usual for his upcoming Rumba.
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