The cast and crew of Strictly Come Dancing are reportedly furious at the return of professional dancer Aljaž Škorjanec, as it is claimed he was involved in a backstage fight with a female dancer.
The 34-year-old Slovenian dancer will return to the BBC show for its new series, two years after an altercation on the 2022 live tour, according to The sun.
Two years after her departure, Aljez was reported to have left the show after an alleged “shocking” incident with a fellow professional dancer on the national tour.
The decision to bring the star back to the BBC show has reportedly sparked controversy, especially given a series of scandals that have dogged the show in recent weeks.
A source told the publication: ‘Has the BBC learned nothing from the last ten months?
Strictly Come Dancing cast and crew are reportedly furious at the return of professional dancer Aljaž Škorjanec
The Slovenian dancer, 34, will return to the BBC show for its new series, two years after an altercation on the 2022 live tour (pictured with celebrity partner Sara Davies in 2021)
‘Amid continued furore over the behaviour of their male professionals, they actively recruited a male dancer who left in disagreement.
‘It was said that Aljaž was a legend who would return and not have any problems, but nothing could be further from the truth.’
The source claimed the cast and crew were “relieved” to see his departure two years ago and are now “horrified” to see him back on the show.
They revealed he allegedly got “very drunk” on a night out on tour two years ago, which led to him being involved in a “very serious and quite shocking altercation” with a woman.
The incident is said to have made the dancer feel “deeply uncomfortable”.
The Aljaž scene is said to have been discussed at length backstage since then and the decision to bring him back has ‘puzzled’ the crew.
“Executives would have to be living in a cave not to have heard the rumors,” the source added.
According to the publication, the BBC denied that an official complaint had been filed over the incident and had previously claimed that Aljaz left of his own free will.
The BBC declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline and told The Sun it did not acknowledge the allegations against Aljaz.
MailOnline has contacted Aljaž’s representatives for comment.
At the time, Aljaz reportedly agreed to leave the show after an alleged “shocking” incident with a fellow professional dancer on the national tour.
Aljaz is married to fellow Strictly pro and It Takes Two presenter Janette Manrara, and sources claim that following their 2022 altercation, the team are “horrified” that bosses have invited him back.
The return of the professional dancer, who is married to fellow Strictly pro and It Takes Two presenter Janette Manrara, is the latest drama to hit the BBC show as a number of allegations of abuse by professionals have come to light.
The scandal erupted when actress Amanda Abbington left the show last year and later claimed that her partner Giovanni Pernice was abusive towards her, leading her to leave the show. Giovanni has vehemently denied the allegations.
Amanda, 50, abruptly quit the BBC show citing “personal issues” and has not been seen on screen since, even quitting social media last month in the wake of her former dance partner’s sacking.
Giovanni, 33, has been suspended pending a BBC investigation into allegations made by Amanda and two other celebrity exes.
Sources previously claimed that Amanda, Ranvir Singh and Laura Whitmore had an “emotional summit” where they “compared notes” about their time working with Giovanni on the show.
Amanda quit Strictly for ‘personal reasons’ before it emerged she had demanded footage of her rehearsals after the experience on the competition left her with PTSD.
Meanwhile, Ranvir complained about Giovanni to producers in 2020, during his time on the show, while Laura said she “cried every day” and felt “uncomfortable” while dancing with him in 2016.
The BBC is currently believed to be reviewing nine years of Strictly archive footage to confirm or deny the claims made by three celebrities.
Giovanni has not returned for the show’s 2024 season.
Shortly afterwards, it emerged that Graziano Di Prima had been sacked for “kicking” fellow Love Island star Zara McDermott.
Strictly bosses then announced plans to introduce training companions and the appointment of two new wellness producers, following Graziano’s shock sacking from the show.
Love Island star Zara has broken her silence on the scandalShe wrote on Instagram on Tuesday morning that while much of her time on Strictly “was everything I could have dreamed of” inside the training room with Graziano there were “particular incidents that are incredibly distressing”.
“I felt it was only right to post something about the recent media reports,” Zara began. “Strictly is one of the most magical shows on television and one I have dreamed of being on since I was a little girl.”
She reportedly agreed to leave the show and the competition after an alleged “shocking” incident with a fellow professional dancer on the national tour (pictured in 2019).
Despite the show’s controversial months, Aljaž, who was accused of annoying the show’s staff with “aggressive and pompous behavior” in 2022, is set to return (pictured in 2019)
Zara explained that she did not report the incidents at the time because she was “afraid” of suffering negative reactions.
New reports then emerged claiming that Zara also suffered a broken leg during training and continued dancing.
She suffered a nasty injury while preparing to dance and despite being in agonizing pain, she went ahead to compete in the dance competition.
Zara is believed to have told BBC bosses about the “rigorous” training sessions she endured while working with Graziano on the show.
However, a source close to Graziano told the publication that he encouraged her to take breaks and that she wanted to continue training despite the pain.
Then an unnamed Strictly dancer was drawn into the scandal after it was reported that she shouted in her male partner’s face and berated him off-camera.
The Daily Mirror reported that the allegations against the well-known actor do not include physical abuse.
A source said: ‘The man in question felt very victimised by his Strictly partner’s behaviour.
‘He says she was furious on several occasions when he failed to do the steps correctly and once she shouted in his face. They rowed every day.
‘He was left upset, struggling to sleep and feeling isolated in the process. But worse, he felt totally unsupported by Strictly. When he suffered the setback, it was clear he was struggling, but he felt there was no duty of care. After he left the show, no one contacted him again, not even by phone.’
The source said he was in a bad place and feared a public backlash if he spoke out.
And despite the show’s controversial months, Aljaž, who was accused of upsetting the show’s staff with “aggressive and pompous behavior” in 2022, is set to return.
Aljaz, who was paired with Dragon’s Den star Sara Davies in the previous series, revealed in 2022 that he would be leaving Strictly, with sources adding that he was “undecided” about leaving before deciding to move on to other projects.
A source said The sun that crew members were left “really upset” by “incidents” involving Aljaz during the previous series of Strictly.
They added: ‘He verbally attacked several members of staff behind the scenes in what some thought was an unnecessarily aggressive manner.
“Aljaz was seen by some as arrogant and pompous, and that left a bad taste in the mouths of some staff members. Not many people will miss him.”
However, a representative for Aljaz told the publication: ‘Aljaz has the utmost respect for everyone working on the show and it is not true to say he was forced out or acted aggressively at any point.
‘It was Aljaz’s decision to leave the show after 9 incredible years.’
Strictly Come Dancing executive producer Sarah James said at the time: ‘We are very sad to say goodbye to Aljaž after almost a decade as a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing.
Since taking the glitterball by storm with Abbey Clancy in her debut series, she has become a huge favourite with viewers across the country.
‘During its nine seasons, she has given us unforgettable moments on the show through her incredible choreography, passion for dance and heart of gold.
‘He will be missed by his Strictly family, both on and off the dance floor, and we wish him all the best in his next chapter.’
It came after sources revealed Aljaz had made his decision to leave Strictly “a short time ago” after mulling it over for some time, and is grateful to the show for allowing his “dream to come true”.