A former Strictly contestant has claimed BBC bosses are leaving celebrities woefully unprepared for the dramatic effect signing up for the show will have on their lives.
The family-favorite primetime show is currently embroiled in controversy over how professional dancers teach celebrities, with multiple allegations of harassment and abusive behavior emerging.
And now the star, who took part four years ago, suggests the scandal was inevitable because of the lax attitude of producers who dismiss gruelling training regimes as an occupational hazard of showbiz.
The participants, who asked to remain anonymous, claimed that celebrities are simply asked if they are “okay with their lives being in the spotlight” before agreeing to take part, adding: “Those in charge are the only ones to blame for this scandal.”
The BBC is facing further questions over why potential contestants are not given psychological tests after actress Amanda Abbington complained that professional dancer Giovanni Pernice harassed her during rehearsals. He strongly denies her allegations.
Actress Amanda Abbington dancing with Giovanni Pernice, whom she accused of harassing her during rehearsals
Amanda Abbington with Channel 4 News presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy after an interview for Channel 4 in July
“This fall has been brewing for years,” said the former contestant, who appeared accompanied by a professional dancer.
“The producers are the only ones to blame. This didn’t start yesterday, it happens every season on Strictly.
‘When you walk in the door, they tell you, “Listen, there’s going to be a lot of intrusion into your life. You’re going to be the center of attention and everyone’s going to be looking at you.”
‘And then they say, “Are you okay with that?” That’s all they do, and the reality is that if you say “no,” you’re not going to be put in the show. You’ve taken the money and they’ve said, “This is showbiz; if you don’t like it, go and get a job selling flowers. There’s no such thing as free dancing.”
A former Strictly contestant has claimed BBC bosses are leaving celebrities woefully unprepared for the dramatic effect signing up to the show will have on their lives.
The claims appeared to echo those made last week by Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood, who revealed that when he was a young dancer his teacher “would hit us with a cane” as punishment for mistakes.
He added: “These are accidents waiting to happen. There are professional dancers who have gone through many trials to get to where they are.”
“It’s not easy to become a professional. I’m not surprised we are where we are today.”
The claims appeared to echo those made last week by Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood, who revealed that when he was a young dancer his teacher would “hit us with a cane” as punishment for our mistakes.
The former contestant also said there were “obvious” cultural issues at play, noting that male Latin dancers seemed to be the subject of more complaints.
The BBC said last night it would “always listen if people want to let us know” and that there were “procedures and processes in place to manage this”.
(tags to translate)dailymail
