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Strictly Come Dancing bosses hit back at Joe Sugg voting 'loophole' which 'allows fans to vote outside the UK'

Loophole: Joe Sugg fans claimed to have a way to cheat the BBC voting system: Guy Levy/BBC/BBC/PA Wire
Loophole: Joe Sugg fans claimed to have a way to cheat the BBC voting system: Guy Levy/BBC/BBC/PA Wire

Strictly Come Dancing bosses have slammed an alleged “voting scandal” which reportedly allowed Joe Sugg fans to vote from overseas.

A number of posts claiming to show a four-step plan on how to vote for the YouTube star and his pro partner Dianne Buswell from abroad have been circulating, causing some to question Sugg's place in the competition.

But bosses for the BBC ballroom show, which concludes on Saturday night, insisted that their “robust” voting platform discredits any votes that have come from outside the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.

A spokesperson told Standard Online: “We regularly make updates to our technology to help prevent access to voting via the BBC website from outside the UK which breaks our voting terms and conditions.

Finalists: Joe Sugg and Dianne Buswell have made it to the grand final on Saturday (BBC/Guy Levy)
Finalists: Joe Sugg and Dianne Buswell have made it to the grand final on Saturday (BBC/Guy Levy)

“Our voting platforms are robust and we have stringent procedures in place as well as independent verification. Online voting requires a BBC log in and is freely available to users across the UK without a VPN.”

The social media post claimed to have provided a loophole to allow fans to flood the system with votes through the BBC website.

But bosses outlined in no uncertain terms that they “reserve the right to disqualify votes” if they suspect voting malpractice and attempts to skew the result.

A statement on the website reads: “The BBC reserves the right to disqualify votes if it has reasonable grounds to suspect that fraudulent voting has occurred or if it considers there has been any deliberate attempt to manipulate the result.”

This weekend, Sugg and Buswell – who have refused to confirm or deny rumours they are dating – will take on three dances in a bid to lift the glitterball trophy.

They are up against Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton, Ashley Roberts and Pasha Kovalev and Faye Tozer and Giovanni Pernice.

Strictly Come Dancing: The Final is on BBC One, Saturday at 6.30pm