In the wake of the Strictly Come Dancing bullying row, former Strictly star Ian Waite has made the bombshell suggestion to ban Italian dancers from the hit show.
Giovanni Pernice, 34, exited the series in April following allegations of bullying by his dance partner, Amanda Abbington, which he has strongly refuted. In a similar vein, Graziano Di Prima, 30, was dropped after admitting to kicking his partner, Zara McDermott.
“Well, there’s a link. They’re both Italian. And, a little bit of advice – don’t book Italians anymore,” Ian controversially remarked on the Stripping Off With Matt Haycox podcast.
READ MORE: Strictly’s Janette Manrara heard ‘whispers’ that other co-stars thought she’d be ‘awful’
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“Unless it’s all filmed, it’s your word against theirs. One of the problems is that, as pro dancers, we weren’t given any safeguarding rules or guidance on how we should behave with our celebrity partners. What’s offensive or abusive if there are no clear guidelines? We had to figure it out ourselves.”
(Image: PA)
The 53-year-old dance legend, fresh from his victory on Dancing with the Stars Australia, weighed in on the scandal, acknowledging that things can get heated during practice sessions, reports the Mirror.
Ian confessed: “There were times when I fell out with my partner, yes. And there were even times when there were a lot of shouting matches going on, but it was for a good reason.”
Strictly returned to screens on Saturday (September 14) to kick off its 20th year on television. The celebrity-pro pairings were finally revealed to the public.
(Image: PA)
But two faces who were obviously nowhere to be seen were Giovanni and Graziano. Since leaving the show both have kept a low profile, with Graziano returning to his home country Italy.
The drama surrounding the show will soon come to a close, though, as BBC director general Tim Davie said this week that the corporation is “pretty close” to finishing the investigation into Amanda’s abuse allegations.
Since the allegations emerged, and Graziano admitted to kicking Zara, the BBC introduced chaperones into training rooms for the new series.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
