Former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Will Bayley appeared on the latest edition of This Morning to discuss his experience on the BBC show.
The Paralympian starred on the competition programme back in 2019 and with professional partner Janette Manrara and was forced to withdraw six weeks in after tearing his knee ligaments in rehearsals.
He is now opening up about his behind-the scenes experience amid a scandal that has shone a spotlight on the show’s duty of care protocols.
The table tennis player said the injury, which occurred when his professional partner Janette made him redo a jump after a “rubbish” attempt, has resulted in an excruciating pain he will live with “forever”.
Appearing on This Morning, Will chatted to Alison Hammond and Joel Dommett, who was filing in for Dermot O’Leary, about his time on Strictly but the conversation got off to an awkward start.
Appearing on a video call wearing this Tokyo Paralympics tracksuit, Will accidentally he was heading back to Tokyo for the 2024 Olympic Games instead of Paris.
Paralympic gold medallists Will and Rob Davies are included in a team of 11 athletes that will represent ParalympicsGB in the table tennis events at Paris 2024. After making the mistake, Will said: “Ah I mean Paris. I’m wearing my Tokyo tracksuit thats why I said it.”
(Image: PA Media)
Going on to discuss Strictly, Will admitted “he “didn’t have an issue” with Manrara, who now co-hosts Strictly companion show It Takes Two, but attributed the blame to the pressure the show’s producers put on the professionals.
“Ultimately, I think she was under a lot of pressure by the bosses to perform a certain way and I think it was them pushing me that caused the accident,” he said, but added: “I feel she could have protected me more… It was mentally hard and I didn’t want to let her down.”
(Image: ITV)
A spokesperson for Manrara said: “Janette had a great time dancing with Will and one of her favourite moments on the show was doing their contemporary couples choice.
“Her celebrity partner’s safety and enjoyment was always the priority throughout her time on Strictly . Janette has never received any complaints and has maintained friendships with all her partners, including Will.”
This Morning airs weekdays on ITV1 and ITVX at 10am
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
