The BBC has been hit with over 200 complaints following a ‘censorship row’ on Strictly Come Dancing.
During a recent episode of the hit BBC show, a clip was aired of Bethany wearing a top with “PROTECT THE DOLLS” written on it as viewers watched her during rehearsals. However, later on in the show, the words were removed.
The phrase “Protect The Dolls” is a pro-trans slogan which was first written on a top from fashion designer Conner Ives in 2025 and at the time, fans fumed over it being erased.
Bethany’s T-shirt said protect the dolls -Credit:BBC
It has now been revealed the BBC have received 206 complaints from individuals over the situation. The Mirror have contacted the BBC for comment but in its publicly available response, it said: “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.”
When it happened, angry fans fumed over the blurring of the slogan, writing: “After posting a video, the BBC quietly replaced it with a new one that doesn’t show her from the front. During the show, they blurred out the T-Shirt completely. Absolutely despicable.”
Another added: “The decision to digitally scrub the ‘Protect the Dolls’ slogan from Bethany Antonia’s T-shirt during Strictly Come Dancing is a shameful and cowardly act of censorship.”
To see more of the stories you love from The Mirror and to find them easily in Google then make us your preferred source. Free and easy-to-do, just click on the link here to find more from The Mirror at the top of your feed.
Following the ‘row’, Bethany spoke out to defend the BBC, saying that it was “fair for everybody” to edit it out.
“I think I made a choice to wear that t-shirt without considering the fact that it was linked to a charity, and that it was linked to what some people consider a brand. The BBC had to do what they had to do when they edited it out, to keep it fair for everybody,” she said in response to the backlash.
Bethany is partnered with Nancy Xu this year and was thrilled to be part of a same-sex pairing on the show.
“When I watched Nicola [Adams] and Katya [Jones] do it for the first time and be the first same-sex pairing, I wasn’t out to everyone in my life. Watching them do the show made it so much easier for me to have that conversation with people in my life… It was so important to me to make sure that if I did Strictly, I got to do it with a woman,” she shared.
Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads.