A former Strictly contestant claims BBC bosses are leaving celebrities hopelessly unprepared for the dramatic consequences taking part in the show will have on their lives.
The popular family show is currently in the news for the way the professional dancers teach the celebrities, with multiple allegations of bullying and offensive behavior.
And now the star, who joined the show four years ago, claims the scandal was inevitable because of the laid-back attitude of producers, who dismissed the gruelling training regimes as an occupational hazard in show business.
They requested anonymity and claimed that the celebrities were only asked if they were “okay with their lives being in the spotlight” before agreeing to take part, adding: “Those responsible have only themselves to blame for this scandal.”
It comes as the BBC faces further questions over why it is not carrying out psychological tests on potential competitors, after actress Amanda Abbington complained that professional dancer Giovanni Pernice bullied her during their rehearsals. He strongly denies her allegations.
Actress Amanda Abbington dances with Giovanni Pernice, who she accused of bullying her during their rehearsals
Amanda Abbington with Channel 4 News presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy after an interview for Channel 4 in July
“This downfall has been years in the making,” said the former contestant, who performed with a professional dancer.
‘Producers only have themselves to blame. This didn’t start yesterday – it happens every season on Strictly.
“When you walk through the door, they say, ‘Listen, there’s going to be a lot of intrusion into your life. You’re going to be in the spotlight, for everyone to see.’
‘And then they say to you, “Are you OK with that?” That’s all they do, and the reality is, if you say no, they’re not going to put you on the show. You’ve taken the money and they’ve said to you, this is show business – if you don’t like it, go sell flowers. There’s no such thing as a free dance.’
A former Strictly contestant claims BBC bosses are leaving celebrities hopelessly unprepared for the dramatic impact signing up for the show will have on their lives.
The claims appear to echo those made by Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood last week, who revealed that his teacher used to ‘beat us with a stick’ as punishment for mistakes when we were young dancers
He added: “These are accidents waiting to happen. You have [professional dancers] who have gone through fire to get where they are now.
“It’s not easy to make it as a professional. I’m not surprised that we are where we are now.”
The claims appear to echo those made by Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood last week, who revealed that his teacher used to “beat us with a stick” as punishment for mistakes when he was a young dancer.
The former contestant also said there were “clear” cultural issues at play, pointing out that male Latin American dancers were more likely to be the target of complaints.
The BBC said last night that it “will always listen if people want to point something out to us” and that there are “procedures and processes in place to manage this”.