Richard Madeley weighs in on Strictly drama as he claims ‘people have known about the issues for years and years’ as the scandal deepens

Richard Madeley has spoken out about the Strictly scandal as the BBC’s crisis deepens.

The presenter, who co-hosted Good Morning Britain on Thursday with Charlotte Hawkins, admitted he was not surprised by the allegations.

The 68-year-old TV star revealed that he knows many people involved in the hit dance show and that they have been talking about these issues for years.

Discussing today’s programme, Richard revealed that he would be speaking to Strictly alumni Reverend Richard Coles and Edwina Currie about their time on the show.

He added: ‘I have to say thatThe people I know who are involved in that program all talk about these problems and they say they’ve known about it for years and years and years, but the lid was left on and now the lid is coming off.’

Richard also read out comments from Richard Coles, who spoke about the allegations during an interview with Times Radio on Wednesday.

He said, “I’ve talked to both participants and professionals about it. And I don’t think anyone is surprised that this stuff has surfaced.”

He also explained: ‘I remember someone who had worked on the show for years saying to me, “Strictly is a great show with a dark heart.” I never really understood what that meant.

“But maybe one of the things that meant is what you don’t see. And that’s how intensely competitive it is.

Richard’s comments came after it emerged that a third Strictly Come Dancing professional had been named as a “person of interest” following allegations of abuse and bullying that overshadowed the show.

Graziano Di Prima, 30, was axed from the show last week amid reports he verbally and physically abused his celebrity partner Zara McDermott, 27, during last year’s series.

It came just weeks after Giovanni Pernice, 33, was suspended pending a BBC investigation into allegations of behind-the-scenes misconduct by Amanda Abbington, 50, and two other former celebrities.

And on Wednesday, the scandal grew even bigger after new research revealed that former professional dancer James Jordan told his partner he would “drag her across the floor and yell at her” if she forgot her dance moves.

The clip, which was filmed during the fourth season in 2006, shows him rehearsing with actress Georgina Bouzova.

He also tells her to “finish yourself” while demanding she stand on one leg and insists that he doesn’t care how much pain she’s in unless she’s broken a rib. He is also seen throwing a chair across the workout studio.

James, who left Strictly in 2012 after starring in eight seasons, also banned Georgina, who previously starred in BBC medical drama Casualty, from eating sweets and chocolate and only allowed her to buy pineapple and ham when they went to the supermarket together.

However, James reacted angrily after the clip from Strictly spin-off show It Takes Two resurfaced.

The 46-year-old ballroom dancer and choreographer fiercely criticised the BBC, saying most of the footage had “nothing to do with Georgina at all”.

He shared an angry statement on Instagram saying the footage had been “edited for entertainment” and was “highly produced and exaggerated.”

He said there was “no comparison between those terrible allegations and the VT”, while insisting that none of his celebrity partners ever complained about him during his eight years on the show.

On Tuesday night it was announced that a third professional dancer on the show has been identified as a ‘person of interest’ in the wake of allegations of abuse and bullying.

BBC executives sacked Graziano after production staff showed bosses a video of the professional dancer “punching and kicking” Love Island star Zara during a training session last autumn.

However, there have been allegations of a massive cover-up by the BBC, as crew members are said to have complained about Graziano’s behaviour during the series but no action was taken.

When a group of Strictly production staff saw Graziano’s treatment of Zara on last year’s series, they raised their concerns with their superiors. But instead of sacking him, senior executives ignored their concerns and issued Graziano ‘silent warnings’.

It was only when staff backed up their allegations with video evidence last week – including a clip of Graziano punching Zara – that bosses were prompted to take action and sack him. But this was nine months after they first raised the alarm.

A BBC insider told the Mail’s Katie Hind: ‘There is absolutely no doubt that the highest officials at Strictly and the rest of the BBC were aware of Graziano’s behaviour – and yet they still allowed him to appear on screen.’

The BBC’s official response said: ‘While we will never comment on individual cases, the BBC is known to have robust duty of care procedures in place. If concerns are raised, we will always take them seriously and take action as quickly as possible.’

Sources at Strictly told the Mail they believe there was a “cover-up” surrounding Graziano’s behaviour, with “bosses hoping to prevent fan favourite Di Prima being sacked”.

Zara herself admitted in her statement on Tuesday that she felt too scared to come forward and complain about Graziano’s behavior, as this would mean that she too did not want to damage the show’s good reputation and her own career prospects.

“I’ve struggled with the fear of opening up. I was afraid of the public’s negative reactions, I was afraid of my future, I was afraid of victim shaming,” Zara wrote on Instagram.

With news emerging this week that a third professional dancer – who is no longer on the show – is also part of the investigation into the BBC series, insiders have told The Sun that it ‘It is becoming increasingly clear that there appears to be a widespread problem with the behaviour of some professionals in training.’

‘The more people come forward, the clearer the picture becomes.’