Ex-Strictly stars ‘surprised’ at allegations related to conduct of professionals

Former Strictly Come Dancing professionals Ian Waite and Vincent Simone have said they are “surprised” by the allegations of abusive behaviour to past participants that have been made against two former dancers on the show.

Graziano Di Prima announced at the weekend that he was leaving the show following claims about his treatment of reality star Zara McDermott when they competed together last year.

There have also been allegations about the teaching methods of former Strictly star Giovanni Pernice, which he denies.

The dance competition announced earlier this week that new welfare measures would be introduced following the claims, including a chaperone who will be present “at all times” during rehearsals.

Speaking to ITV’s Good Morning Breakfast on Friday morning, Waite said he was “surprised” by the allegations as he did not experience anyone being aggressive during his time on the show, but condemned any physical action as “not appropriate”.

The dancer, who participated on the show from 2004 to 2009, said: “I’m very surprised because in my experience, I’ve never known anybody hurting anybody or being aggressive towards anybody.

“Throughout my experience on Strictly it’s been absolutely wonderful. You do go through highs and lows on the show, as you probably both know, it can be very stressful.

“And it can be intense, and it can be really hard work, and you get really tired towards the end.

“But I don’t think under any circumstances should there be any physical (action). It’s not appropriate.”

The professional dancer also spoke about the intense dance culture, recalling how teachers would physically put him into positions when he was learning as a child.

“I had teachers in London who used to put me into position and they’d have their nails and grab me and push me, but it was to get me in the correct place”, he said.

“It was always the connotation that it was to make me do it right. There was no aggressiveness towards it.”

Simone, who was a dancer on the show between 2006 and 2012, said he had “never heard of such a physical act” made by a dancer in his 30 years within the industry.

He added: “Personally, I never had any problems. My Strictly journey was amazing, the only problem I had is all my celebrities, they all fell in love with me.”

Former Love Island star McDermott previously said she “wrestled with the fear of opening up” about her time on Strictly as she feared a “public backlash” and “victim shaming”.

In a post on Instagram earlier this week, she praised the production team and her fellow contestants, but said her experience in the training room was “very different”.

“Reports have been made about my treatment on the show and there were witnesses to some events, as well as videos of particular incidents which are incredibly distressing to watch”, she wrote.

She added that she had spoken “candidly” to the BBC about her time on the show.

Her statement came after Di Prima said in an Instagram post on Saturday that he “deeply regrets” the events that led to his departure from the show as he acknowledged that his “intense passion and determination to win might have affected my training regime”.

On Thursday, his spokesman, Mark Borkowski, said Di Prima is in a “very vulnerable state” following the allegations.

Borkowski told the PA news agency: “This week the news agenda has focused on an isolated incident that Mr Di Prima deeply regrets and apologised for at the time.

“The deluge of commentary, too often without context or nuance, has provoked a pile-on that has left a young man in a very vulnerable state.

“In this case, like in many others, media and social media have immense power to build and destroy careers.”

Pernice, who will not return for the show in 2024, said in a social media post in June that he has “always rejected any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour”.

Professional dancer Nadiya Bychkova has also now met with BBC bosses to raise concerns about the show, according to the Daily Mail.

It comes after reports that Bychkova and fellow Strictly professional Kai Widdrington have ended their relationship after falling for one another on the BBC series.

Elsewhere, The Sun reports that Strictly hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman are “shocked” by the allegations that have been made about former dancers but that they have vowed to stand by the show.

Speaking to GMB, Waite said the dance industry is a “hard world” to be in due to the pressure of getting things right, which can be made harder on Strictly due to the time restraint in rehearsals.

“On Strictly… you’ve got very limited time… and you’re put under a lot of pressure to make the best performance you can at the end of the week”, he explained.

Simone also noted that this is not the first time chaperones have been used during rehearsals as he recalled working with a professional and a celebrity on the show, who he would not name, who had a chaperone in their room because “the couple didn’t get on”.

Following the allegations, the BBC said a member of the Strictly production team will be present “at all times” during training room rehearsals and that a celebrity welfare producer and a professional dancer welfare producer would be added to the team.

The BBC show, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, is due to film its pre-recorded launch programme on September 4.

Amanda Abbington, who was partnered with Pernice last series, is due on ITV’s Lorraine next week, with reports saying she will appear on the talk show on Thursday.

The actress, best known for playing Mary Watson in BBC drama Sherlock, withdrew from the celebrity dance competition last year before week six citing “personal reasons”.

In an interview with The Sunday Times published last weekend, Abbington said her time on Strictly was “tough and horrible” and recalled that she would vomit and cry at home after rehearsals.