A former Strictly Come Dancing star has said he is “not surprised” about the ongoing abuse scandal.
The BBC show, watched by millions every Saturday in the autumn, has been embroiled in turmoil after allegations of abuse and misconduct surfaced following last year’s series. In the run-up to this year’s show, two former stars have either left or been fired.
An internal investigation was launched late last year into claims that Sherlock actress Amanda Abbington made about her partner Giovanni Pernice, which he denies. She claimed that the experience was so harrowing for her, she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder – before Gio quit the upcoming series.
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Similarly, fellow Italian dancer Graziano di Prima was fired by BBC bosses after footage came to light of the professional hitting and spitting at partner Zara McDermott. Graziano apologised for his actions, admitting that his passion and determination to win may have affected his training methods.
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Now, a former star of the show has admitted some other former contestants are not surprised the allegations are coming to light. Reverend Richard Coles, who competed in the 2017 series of the show, said that the competitive element of the programme makes the worst come out in people.
“I remember somebody who worked on the show for years and years telling me, saying, Strictly is a wonderful show with a dark heart,” Reverend Richard said on Times Radio. “And I never really understood what that meant, but perhaps one of the things that meant is what you don’t see, which is how intensely competitive it is.
“And also, I think the fact that it’s so important to the BBC, how much effort goes into maintaining the glitter on the glitter ball, if you see what I mean. All human experience is mixed, we know that; introduce that element of competition to it.”
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Reverend Richard added that given the show can make or break contestants’ careers, there is a need to preserve the positive atmosphere. However, he was quick to point out in the world of ballroom dancing, many dancers are raised to be competitive and use unorthodox methods.
“It’s unsentimental, it’s brutal, and they work in regimes which are impossibly disciplined, I think, for people who aren’t used to that,” he explained. “So often it’s a bit of a culture shock for people coming into it.”
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Reverend Coles got to the second week of the competition together with professional partner Diane Buswell. He reflected on his own experience, saying that the entire experience he had was “uniformly good”, adding: “We had a fantastic relationship, both on and off camera, and I wasn’t aware at all of anything untoward at the time.”
He added that having spoken to previous contestants, “no one has been surprised” at the surface of allegations. However, he insisted what was now needed were the “appropriate measures” that can mitigate future issues.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
