Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood has said he wants the BBC’s findings from their investigation into misconduct claims on the show to be published quickly, as the new series is said to be shaping up to be the ‘most expensive ever’.
The choreographer, 59, who has been on the show since it’s inception in 2004, gave his thoughts on the ongoing bullying crisis surrounding the show, admitting he thought the introduction of chaperones was ‘a good idea’.
The beloved dancing series is currently embroiled in controversy over how the professional dancers teach their celebrity partners, with multiple accusations emerging of bullying and abusive behaviour.
And in the fallout of the scandal, the BBC has introduced a stringent set of new welfare policies to protect the stars, including the employment of chaperones during rehearsals.
Speaking to The Times, Craig said that he wanted to see the final results of the broadcaster’s probe into the allegations, which it has been looking into for the past three months and which have still not been made public.
Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood (pictured) has said he wants the BBC’s findings from their investigation into misconduct claims on the show to be published quickly, as the new series is said to be shaping up to be the ‘most expensive ever’
The beloved dancing series is currently embroiled in controversy over how the professional dancers teach their celebrity partners, with multiple accusations emerging of bullying and abusive behaviour (Zara McDermott and Graziano Di Prima pictured on show last year)
He said: ‘I can’t wait for the investigation because it could be all blown out of proportion or it could be anything. But we want the results sooner rather than later.’
But he added: ‘It’s not just the BBC, though, is it? The BBC is in the public eye because of its public funding. ITV has the same issues.’
Craig explained that things had changed significantly since his dance training, where his teachers would strike their legs to yield better results, and opined that the introduction of chaperones would help ‘everyone feel protected’.
He said: ‘All I can say is, first, chaperones are a good idea. Second, thank goodness things have changed.
‘I had a Russian ballet teacher who used a cane to make us raise our legs higher. You couldn’t do that now.
‘A choreographer can’t even touch a dancer’s arm to put it in the correct place, but at least it means everyone feels protected.’
However, despite the controversy surrounding Strictly for the past few months, Craig insisted that the show would weather the storm.
He said: ‘It’s a wonderful show that’s in 61 countries. Yes, I want to know the results of the investigation – let’s see what issues need addressing. But let’s also not forget the absolute joy it brings.’
