Good Morning Britain welcomed Kristina Rihanoff, a former Strictly Come Dancing professional, who issued a four-word warning to her ex-colleagues. The 46-year-old dancer exited the BBC’s glamorous show in 2016 after announcing her pregnancy.
Strictly is currently under scrutiny due to a scandal involving “abuse” allegations made by English actress Amanda Abbington.
Amanda alleged that her dance partner, Giovanni Pernice, treated her “unnecessarily”, leading other celebrities to share their own experiences with different dancers on the show. Giovanni has refuted these claims.
During the conversation, Kristina confessed to Richard and Charlotte that her stint on the show was always positive and she never witnessed any “bullying”. However, she wasn’t shocked by the news,” reports the Mirror
(Image: GMB)
Kristina proposed that the issue could be easily sorted if the BBC bosses ensured that the professionals were not only champion dancers but also skilled teachers.
The Russian ballroom star told the hosts, “You can’t get frustrated”, sympathising with the fact that the celebrities were complete “novices”. She stated: “I think what it has to start with is the proper vetting process.
“When I was offered the show, I had to do a very in-depth interview and had to present all of my professional qualifications, I had to present a lot of references from the dancing bodies in America, who knew me and which umbrella I worked under. So they had a lot of references, who I am and who I was, I had ten years of teaching experience.
“A lot of people who were on the show with me at that time had the same kind of pedigree. I think that’s very important because when you get somebody who is very young and doesn’t have the experience to teach because, at the end of the day, this is the primary job, you know there are lots of great dancers out there but it does not mean they are good teachers.”
“It’s not just about being general teachers, it’s about teaching novices, someone who can’t dance and you can’t get frustrated, you just have to be able to deliver information and get the best out of it,” warned the former Strictly star.
Adding balance to the ongoing argument after two Strictly professionals Giovanni and Graziano Di Prima were axed as a result of claims, Kristina wanted to get across that it is a sport and dancers are trained to be champions, something that has been installed upon them from a very young age.
Kristina indicated that the cut-throat dance industry and professionals’ own previous training could have possibly led to certain behaviours.
GMB airs weekdays on ITV from 6am.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
