Joanna Crawley, Mail Online
July 17, 2024 13:45, updated July 17, 2024 13:54
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Former Strictly Come Dancing star Ann Widdecombe has defended the show amid allegations of behind-the-scenes abuse.
The former Conservative MP, who competed on the BBC show alongside Anton du Beke in 2010, denied the bullying claims and insisted celebrity contestants were in control and should do so if they told the professional dancers they had enough.
Professional dancer Graziano Di Prima, 30, was axed from the show last week after reports he was verbally and physically abusive towards his celebrity partner Zara McDermott, 27, during last year's series.
This comes just weeks after Giovanni Pernice (33) was suspended whilst the BBC investigates allegations of off-camera misconduct by Amanda Abbington (50) and two other former celebrity partners.
Appearing on Channel 5's The Jeremy Vine Show on Wednesday, Anne responded to Amanda's claims that the show had left her with post-traumatic stress disorder, saying: “It's like going to war. It's a dancing competition. Grow up, everyone.”
“I'm sorry, but I don't have much patience for two reasons,” Anne told Jeremy, a former contestant on the show.
“Firstly, everything you do during training is filmed and recorded. There are usually two people for both audio and camera, but always at least one.”
“So there was already a third person in the room, everything was being recorded. And if someone was being kicked or punched, they should have filmed that first.”
“The second thing is, amazingly, celebrities are taking the initiative. They can say, 'Sorry, I can't do this anymore today.'”
“In fact, one professional athlete told me a story about how he'd driven all the way to Brighton to train with a celebrity, and the celebrity was like, 'Oh, I'm so sorry, I'm going to go buy a new toilet'.”
“In fact, we are in control. We can say, 'I'm sorry, I'm tired, I've had enough, I can't do what you want me to do.'”
“They're adults. If they were kids I would take this very seriously. They're adults. What do you mean, they were bullied? They're adults. What do you mean, bullying? Why didn't they take action?”
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Carol Malone, a guest on the show, Amanda Abbington faced backlash for complaining and speaking out.
“Amanda said she had post-traumatic stress disorder, like she'd been in the war. This is a dance competition. Grow up, guys, grow up,” Anne replied.
“It's pathetic that experts know this is how they're treating them and can't say it.”
“Why didn't she just call a halt and say, 'I'm not going to continue until you behave, and if you have a problem, tell the producers what you're doing'? Why didn't she?”
Speaking about the BBC's decision to introduce a welfare team for the upcoming series, Anne said: “When I was there we had a celebrity booker called Charlotte Oates and she looked after us and we would go to her if we had any special requests.”
“You know, having an adult chaperone is nothing new!”
Another former “Strictly” contestant, the Reverend Richard Coles, also spoke out about the latest scandal on Wednesday amid a deepening crisis at the BBC.
The 62-year-old radio presenter appeared on the show in 2017, where he was paired with Australian professional dancer Diane Buswell.
But he admitted that while he had a great experience on the show, he was “not surprised” by the allegations.
Speaking to Times Radio he said: “I've spoken to both contestants and experts about this matter and I don't think anyone is surprised that it has surfaced.”
He also explained, “I remember people who had worked on the show for years turning to me and saying, 'Strictly is a brilliant show with a dark heart' and I had no idea what that meant.”
