Channel Ten announced the cancellation of studio audiences amid the coronavirus pandemic on Friday.
And on Saturday, Dancing With The Stars host Grant Denyer promised there will be ‘amazing performances’ on Sunday’s show, despite performing to an empty room.
Visibly emotional in a short clip shared to his Instagram page, the 42-year-old said the ‘show will go on’ and urged fans to support the celebrities by voting.
‘The show will go on!’ Dancing With The Stars host Grant Denyer, 42, promised ‘amazing performances’ in an Instagram video on Saturday, after Channel Ten cancelled studio audiences amid the coronavirus pandemic
‘Hi everybody, at rehearsals for Dancing With The Stars,’ Grant said from rehearsals.
‘Big news this week. We’ve had to respond to the coronavirus and for the first time in the history of Dancing With The Stars, anywhere in the world, there will be no audience. This place will be empty.
‘I will be here, the dancers will still be here, the performances will be amazing, but we need you to support our celebrities by voting for them after the show. The show will go on,’ he continued.
A visibly emotional Grant told fans: ‘I will be here, the dancers will still be here, the performances will be amazing, but we need you to support our celebrities by voting for them after the show’
Grant added in the post’s caption that while the recent turn of events are ‘strange’, we need to ‘get through this together’.
A spokesperson for Channel Ten told The Daily Telegraph’s Confidential on Friday that the change is effective immediately.
Alongside Dancing With The Stars, The Project, Studio 10 and Australian Survivor: All Stars Reunion, will be filmed without a studio audience.
Effective immediately: On Friday, Channel Ten announced the cancellation of studio audiences as a ‘precautionary measure’ amid the coronavirus pandemic. Pictured from left to right: The Project’s Peter Helliar, Waleed Aly and Carrie Bickmore
‘As a precautionary measure, The Project, Studio 10, Dancing With The Stars and Australian Survivor: All Stars Reunion will go audience-free for the moment,’ the spokesperson said.
‘There will be no disruption to the filming or on-air broadcast of these shows.’
American television shows including The Ellen DeGeneres Show and The Wendy Williams Show have also decided to tape episodes without a live studio audience.
Audience-free: Alongside Dancing With The Stars, The Project, Studio 10 and Australian Survivor: All Stars Reunion will go audience-free for the moment. Pictured: Chloe Lattanzi and her dance partner Gustavo Viglio on the current season of DWTS
Global sport events have also been affected, with the Australian Grand Prix cancelled on Friday.
The NBA (National Basketball Association) has suspended its season after a player tested positive for coronavirus, while Australian football codes, the NRL and AFL, are in discussions.
A number of music events have either been postponed or cancelled – including American festival Coachella, which has been pushed back to October.
No disruption to the schedule: ‘There will be no disruption to the filming or on-air broadcast of these shows,’ a network spokesperson said. Pictured: The Studio 10 panel
Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness accompanied by fever, coughing, sore throat, shortness of breath and fatigue. It can produce pneumonia.
The spread of the disease, which began in Wuhan, China, has seen over 145,000 cases worldwide and more than 5,400 fatalities.
As of March 14, the total number of Australians diagnosed with the virus is now 227, including three deaths.
Statistics: As of March 14, the total number of Australians diagnosed with the virus is now 227, including three deaths