Shirley Ballas is urging everyone to put the ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ bullying drama behind them and “move on”.
The chief judge of the hit BBC One series has thrown her weight behind the results of the Beeb’s recent probe, praising the way the show’s bosses have dealt with past issues.
The dance extravaganza was thrown into chaos following accusations of misconduct, leading to Graziano Di Prima being axed from the programme after claims he got rough with Zara McDermott. Meanwhile, Amanda Abbington and other celebs have complained over Giovanni Pernice’s teaching style.
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Speaking on the BBC’s findings at a book launch on Tuesday (October 1), Shirley said: “I don’t condone bullying, I’ve been through it myself.
(Image: PA)
“So if things aren’t right or need addressing, I feel for the person that wants them addressed. And I think that’s a big, important part that everybody gets to say their thing. But now the investigation is over and everybody can move on.”
She also noted: “The eight years I’ve been on the show, it’s been great safeguarding. I’ve always felt taken care of when the bullying got really bad.
“I was getting hand-delivered letters and one person was drawing a coffin saying ‘Die, you b****’. Strictly were 100% supportive, so my experience on the show has been fantastic. I’m not from a TV world but I can only say that I’ve received much better care from Strictly than I ever received in my own industry.”
In a statement following the investigation in Giovanni, the BBC said: “We have assessed the complaints and we have upheld some, but not all, of the complaints made.
“We want to apologise to Amanda Abbington and to thank her for coming forward and taking part. We know this would not have been an easy thing to do.”
The investigation concluded that Giovanni’s language towards Amanda could sometimes come across as “belittling”, aligning with the ‘Mr. Selfridge’ star’s views that his comments were often “overly negative” and included swearing during practice sessions.
After scrutinising hours of rehearsal footage, the report identified two instances of “inappropriate behaviour of sexual banter in the workplace”, which it determined were “made and received as jokes” by both parties involved.
The complaint lodged by Amanda regarding a video Giovanni sent her on WhatsApp, which she found inappropriate, was ultimately dismissed by the investigators.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
