Strictly stars break silence on show scandal as they hit back at claims bosses couldn’t sign up female celebs
STRICTLY’s cast has spoken out for the first time about the summer’s bullying scandal – making it clear that the investigation didn’t cause them “to think twice” about signing up for the show.
The class of 2024 even hit back at claims that bosses struggled to attract women into the new series.
More men than women signed up this year following the sacking of Graziano Di Prima and Giovanni Pernice, who were central to the inquiry.
Olympics legend Sam Quek told The Sun: “Not many women? There’s six of us!”
Former Team GB Hockey player Sam insisted she had no hesitation in joining after Sherlock actress Amanda Abbington quit midway last year, and Love Island star Zara McDermott was kicked and harassed during rehearsal.
She said: “I didn’t even think twice about doing it, to have a TV show last this long, that doesn’t just happen it has to be a good product.
“People still love Strictly. It’s like a relationship, you can’t just cancel a relationship because you have a bad experience along the way.
“I mean why would you not say yes?”
TV doctor Punam Krishnan agreed, and chimed: “None of it at all has made me think twice.”
And singer and actress Toyah Willcox shared her perspective, explaining the controversy made her more commited to pushing herself.
She said: “It made me take what’s coming very seriously, because what’s happened in the last year is because this show is 100 per cent committed to dance.
“You’ve got to go beyond your own personal comfort zone and that’s always been very obvious.
“So I know for me, with what’s been going on this year, I’ve been thinking, well can I push myself beyond my own limitations? And for me it’s now or never. That made me commit to the show.”
Meanwhile, Nick Knowles took a more measured approach.
He said: “It’s a very straightforward answer, and I think it’s true for all of us, we’re all starting our journey now and we can only speak from what we’re encountering now.
“Everything’s in place, both mentally and physically, to look after us. You’ve got physios to make sure we’re physically OK. You’ve got people to talk to if we feel bad about that.
“But historically, it’s great that people are being listened to.”
The BBC has spent three months investigating claims that Giovanni was “abusive” towards his former dance partner Amanda Abbington which he denied.
Sources also claimed the results will be revealed in a short statement in a bid to prevent legal repercussions further down the line.
It comes as the professional dancers have already returned to rehearsals ahead of the 20th series.
And just six women signed up to the new series.
In contrast nine men are taking part while in most years it has been roughly a 50/50 split between the sexes.
Strictly's full scandal so far
Strictly Come Dancing's scandal has been growing over the past few months, with several major players speaking out about what went on. Here are the key moments of what's happened so far
16th May: Giovanni Pernice sensationally quits Strictly Come Dancing after nine years on the show.
17th May: Giovanni becomes the centre of an official investigation after three former partners – believed to be Amanda Abbington, Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh – make complaints to the BBC.
16th June: Giovanni releases an official statement vowing to clear his name and denies any wrongdoing.
8th July: Strictly confirms Aljaz Skorjanec will return to the series, replacing Giovanni, after initially quitting the show two years ago.
10th July: Amanda Abbington launches fresh legal proceedings to get the rehearsal footage from her time with Giovanni, after allegedly he refused to release the videos.
13th July: Graziano Di Prima is axed from Strictly for “gross misconduct” after footage of his treatment of Zara McDermott is brought to the attention of the BBC.
Graziano quickly broke his silence, apologising for his behaviour in a statement and saying he “deeply regrets it”, adding his “intense passion and determination to win might have affected his training regime.”
15th July: Strictly bosses implement new duty of care protocols, including having a chaperone present throughout all rehearsals.
16th July: Zara McDermott speaks out publicly for first time. She states while the production team were “amazing to work with”, she found the rehearsal room “completely different”, confirming there’s footage of “certain situations”.
19th July: Anton Du Beke is put under the spotlight for his “1970s attitude” and treatment of female celeb stars, particularly after allegedly referring to 2009 partner Laila Rouass as a “p***” after getting a spray tan.
21st July: Paralympian Will Bayley, who has limb condition arthrogryposis, revealed he was encouraged to leap from a table during a dance routine, despite fears. The stunt caused an injury that forced him to withdraw from the show.
22nd July: MasterChef’s Gregg Wallace admits he broke down in tears and got a nasty stress rash on his face during his time on Strictly in 2014.
22nd July: Despite ongoing issues, the Strictly professional cast begin rehearsals for this year’s series.
23rd July: Celebrity agent Melanie Blake claims she was sexually assaulted by an unnamed pro dancer while backstage on the show, and claims she witnessed ageism, rudeness and a rough treatment to the point of injury.
23rd July: Strictly is forced to beef up security after ‘an intruder scales the wall of the rehearsal studio’.
23rd July: BBC boss Tim Davie breaks his silence on the ongoing allegations against Strictly, saying he is ‘deeply sorry’, adding: “Hundreds of people, be they pros, contestants or crew have been part of it and had a brilliant experience.
“At the same time if someone thinks there was something wrong or they want to talk about their experience then of course we want them to raise that with us. Be in no doubt we will take it seriously, listen and deal with it as appropriate.”
24th July: Strictly 2023 star Krishnan Guru-Murthy holds a bombshell interview with Amanda Abbington on Channel 4 news, where she claims she was bullied, with some of the ‘humilation being of a sexual nature’.
27th July: Laura Whitmore releases a statement regarding her Strictly experience, saying “I thought my experience was specific to me but I’ve since learned I was wrong”.
She adds she is not part of the official complaint, but has come forward to support Amanda with the BBC, alongside others.
28th July: Laila Rouass speaks out against the accusations regarding Anton Du Beke, saying she “never felt pressured” by him and “personally insisted on six to seven hours training a day”.
10th August: Graziano breaks his silence on his Strictly axe, saying “these vile, false allegations have ruined my life.”
He also told of the “shocking” end to his friendship with Zara McDermott.
We also revealed that Amanda Abbington was also quizzed for a second time as Strictly execs recruited 15 new staff to monitor rehearsals.
11th August: Just as the investigation was expected to conclude, Amanda made a dramatic intervention. Giovanni was on the brink of being cleared until Amanda handed in more text messages.
24th August: Graziano Di Prima called in top lawyers to sue the BBC and to try to clear his name. He recruited big hitters Whitestone Chambers to fight his corner.
A source said: “They’ve also looked at his BBC contract and believe there are grounds to sue.”
Meanwhile, the BBC also delayed releasing the findings of the probe into Giovanni Pernice. The Sun revealed that the results of the three-month investigation were unlikely to be announced in August.