A former Strictly Come Dancing star has spoken out about his injury on the BBC show.
This comes after a string of other accusations made by other former contestants. This time, Janette Manrara has been named as the professional involved, making her the first female professional to be complained about.
Will Bayley starred in the 2019 series and was partnered with Janette. Though during rehearsals, he was asked to jump off a table by Janette and dismissed his injury fears as “rubbish”.
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However, Will alleges he heard his leg “crack” and was left in ‘horrific pain’. Strangely, he was not taken to hospital and was instead told to put ice on his knee in a hotel room.
(Image: PA)
He has decided to speak out now as he wants to refrain it happening from anyone else in the future, after alleging that the BBC breached their duty of care towards him.
The stat told The Sun: “Now feels like the right time to speak up. I hope what I went through never happens to anyone else. I think the show thought they were being inclusive by casting me, but I actually felt pressured. I have got a serious disability and I don’t think anyone was really looking out for me when I injured myself, leaving me with injuries that still affect me to this day.
(Image: PA)
“No one has ever contacted me from the BBC or said sorry. There was no duty of care — I should have been taken to hospital as soon as I had the accident, but all they cared about was trying to get me to dance.”
The BBC responded to this claim in a statement to The Mirror: “We have longstanding protocols for dealing with injuries if they occur and that includes contestants receiving all necessary treatment and support as required.” The Mirror has also contacted Janette Manrara’s representatives for comment.
All of this follows Graziano di Prima being axed from the show after he admitted to kicking his celebrity partner Zara McDermott during a training session. Alongside this, Giovanni Pernice has also left the show after claims made by Amanda Abbington alleged he bullied her.
(Image: PA)
A statement from the BBC said: “The BBC is today announcing additional steps to strengthen welfare and support on Strictly Come Dancing. Concerns that have arisen in recent months have been fundamentally about training and rehearsals. The actions we announce today are designed to address that.” The BBC added that it would do three things including: having a production team member present during training room rehearsals at all time; appoint a celebrity welfare producer and a professional dancer welfare producer and deliver further training for the production team and crew.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
