Craig Revel Horwood has spoken of his "shock" at hearing about the recent claims surrounding Strictly Come Dancing – but insisted he doesn't think the show's future is under threat. Earlier this year, Giovanni Pernice denied allegations of "abusive or threatening behaviour" towards former dance partners following tabloid reports of a BBC investigation, while last week Graziano Di Prima explained that he "deeply regrets" the events that led to his own departure from the new season, saying his "intense passion and determination to win" may have affected his "training regime". Now, long-time judge Horwood has revealed that he was unaware of any complaints about professional dancers and he found out about the allegations "through the press".
"It's a shock and news to me," he told BBC Radio Wales's Lucy Owen . "The judges are never present at any of the teaching and we literally come in on a Saturday and just judge what we see before us. "We're kept very, very separate to the rest of the company, so for us it's complete news.
Every day I read about something and think, 'That can't be right...
'" When asked if he's worried about the future of the beloved BBC ballroom show, he added: "I don't think so, because it's one of those shows that belongs in the people's hearts at home who love dancing, and there's nothing better than seeing someone come from nothing and work hard and move up to being absolutely phenomenal. "It's a beautiful show to be involved in and I'm very proud of it. .