Laura Whitmore has slammed the BBC for “gaslighting” her over her time on Strictly.
Whitmore, 39, took part in the BBC competition back in 2016, being paired with Giovanni Pernice. The Italian professional is now at the heart of the ongoing BBC probe following claims of abuse and misconduct behind the scenes in the rehearsal room.
The initial claims made against Gio were brought by Amanda Abbington, who quit the 2023 series after just five weeks. However, since then a number of other people have come forward, including Laura and Good Morning Britain presenter Ranvir Singh.
READ MORE: Amanda Abbington got heartbreaking ‘response’ from BBC producer over Strictly footage
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Now, the DJ has said that she had raised concerns with the BBC over Giovanni’s conduct during her stint on the show. Posting a dramatic new statement, Laura gave fans an insight into how she felt and the way she was treated during the process, amid the wave of allegations being made against Pernice – claims which he totally denies.
(Image: BBC/Jay Brooks/Matt Burlem)
Speaking to the Irish post, Whitmore said that women are now being listened to in the TV industry in the time that she has been a presenter, adding that women are now “louder” than ever at holding people accountable. Touching on Strictly, she said: “The stuff I’m not going to talk to you about now, because it’s under review, that’s all coming out now, the stuff I tried to speak about eight years ago.”
She was then asked if the BBC took on her initial concerns after she reported them to bosses, to which she said that producers had tried to make her think it was not as bad as it was. “[I was] gaslit to make it seem normalised. It’s a shame that it has to come out in such a victim-shaming way, which it always does. And being the first person to speak up about anything is always hard.”
(Image: Getty Images)
Laura’s comments come days after she confirmed that she had spoken to the ongoing BBC probe into Pernice’s behaviour. She has not made a formal complaint against the dancer, but said that she wants to get “just an acceptance” of what happened in rehearsals.
She also added that she had been in touch with six other past Strictly contestants to speak about their time on the show, bringing their own claims to the BBC on their behalf. On a post addressing the situation, Laura said that she wanted to “set the record straight” on the information surrounding her claims.
(Image: PA)
“I was asked to speak to the BBC along with six people that I know of (who deserve anonymity as they don’t want to be dragged through the press), about inappropriate behaviour they experienced similar to mine with the same individual,” she said. “I initially raised concerns back in 2016. I thought my experience was specific to me but I’ve since learned I was wrong.
“The aim of this is to show a pattern of behaviour that I believe needs to stop,” she continued. “My evidence is to support other people’s experience. It’s a shame it takes this for someone to be heard.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
