Strictly pro Janette Manrara breaks her silence after Paralympian Will Bayley claimed she made him redo a jump that caused a lifelong injury – amid latest drama for ‘fatally tarnished’ show

Janette Manara has broken her silence after Paralympic athlete Will Bayley claimed she made him redo a jump that left him with a lifelong injury – amid the latest drama for the ‘fatally tarnished’ show

A BBC spokesperson for the It Takes Two presenter said the professional dancer has never received any complaints about her training methods.

Table tennis player Will, 36, claimed he suffered a life-changing injury while jumping during a performance on the show, blaming his then-partner Janette.

A spokesperson for Janette told the BBC: ‘Janette loved dancing with Will and one of her favourite moments on the show was when she chose their contemporary couples.

‘The safety and enjoyment of her celebrity partner was always her priority during her time on Strictly.

‘Janette has never received any complaints and has maintained friendships with all her partners, including Will.’

Will was born with arthrogryposis, which limits the range of motion in his limb joints, and completed the movement with his knees straight. He spoke candidly about the daily pain that plagues him on the weekends.

A resurfaced clip that aired during that year’s live shows the devastating moment when Will lies on the ground in pain after the jump.

In the video, Tess can be heard explaining that Will is injured and will not be dancing that week. The footage shows the athlete lying on the ground in agony as a doctor crouched down and helped him with first aid.

Janette was also seen visibly upset as she comforted her famous partner. In a later part of the video, Janette herself was comforted by fellow professional dancer Nancy Xu.

“I jumped off the table and landed with my legs straight out,” Will told VT at the time.

‘I thought I had broken my leg because I had never felt anything like it before. Luckily it’s not as bad as I thought when I first did it.

‘It’s really awful to hear that I “absolutely can’t dance”, but I have to recover now and come back even stronger next week.’

Will was given a week’s exemption before having to withdraw from the competition altogether, having to miss another live show due to his injury.

The gold medallist spoke of the “terrible pain” he felt as he fell to the ground, thinking “his whole career was over”.

Earlier on Monday, the BBC broke its silence following Paralympic athlete Will’s claims over the weekend.

After participating in the series, Will suffered from unbearable knee pain.

The BBC said: ‘We have had protocols in place for many years to deal with any injuries that may occur, ensuring that participants receive the necessary treatment and support if required.’

Speak with The sunWill said, “We practiced a few times and I was very cautious. But then Janette said my jump was ‘junk’ and that I should smile more, go for it and show a bit of passion.’

Determined to improve, the athlete went for it, but experienced ‘the most terrible pain.’

“I was lying on the ground and I thought my whole career was over. I could hear my leg cracking, I couldn’t breathe,” he said.

“I’ll never get over that injury — you have it for life. I already have a limiting disability, but this is on top of it. I wake up in the morning and it hurts. I can only train for a couple of hours now before it hurts.”

Will explained that he had ‘no problem with Janette’ but felt she was under pressure from the show’s bosses. They have remained friends since their time on the series.

MailOnline has contacted Janette Manrara’s representative for comment.

A BBC spokesman said: ‘We will not comment on individuals or speculate. But as we have said before, if people want to let us know about something or raise it with us directly, we will always listen. We have appropriate procedures and processes in place to manage this.’

When he was injured, Will praised his dance partner Janette for being “like a rock” after his “incredible experience” came to an end, leaving her in tears.

He described hearing his knee “pop” and thought he had broken his leg, until a doctor told him he had torn his anterior cruciate ligament.

Will, who was in the audience, said: ‘I’m gutted about it, but it’s so good to be here and support everyone. They’re all doing a great job tonight.’

“I feel like I’ve had the most support through this whole process. The least I can do is come back and I’m proud to see you.”

He added: ‘It’s starting to come, I want to see in a few weeks how it is, but I will be there in Tokyo and try to win that gold medal again.’

‘My highlight was the arrival of my partner Janette. She is like a rock in the surf for me. I can’t say enough praise for her.’

After recovering from his injury, Will went on to win both individual and team silver at the rescheduled 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

He was forced to drop out early when he heard his leg ‘crack’ during his second attempt to jump off a table during studio rehearsals – after .