Craig Revel Horwood has come out swinging in defence of under-fire Strictly Come Dancing professionals to warn celebrities thinking of taking part in the show that it is no walk in the park. The 59-year-old Australian-British choreographer has been a judge on the hit BBC show since it first began airing in 2004. But the series has been dragged into disrepute over the past 12 months with reports of toxic training environments.
The backlash was sparked when actress Amanda Abbington, 50, sensationally quit last years' competition after bitterly falling out with Giovanni Pernice, 33. The professional dancer has since exited Strictly after a slew of former celebrity contestants spoke out against him - while fellow dancer Graziano Di Prima, 30, has also faced accusations of inappropriate behaviour. Craig, who has been a professional dancer himself since the 1980s, says that "hard" working conditions are just the nature of the competitive dance world .
He also suggested that celebrities may struggle with the intense training conditions compared to their pampered lives. Speaking to the Daily Mail, Craig was asked if dance environments are typically tough and he said: "Yeah, but it depends on a lot of things, like where you were trained, what your training is for. Similarly with Olympic champions, there are training devices that people use.
It’s the same in football when your manager is training you and screaming at you." The TV judge continued: "It’s a sport and it’s hard. The thing that makes it even more difficult in this situation is that celebrities are not used to that environment at all – and it’s arresting because it’s tactile when you’re dancing with a partner.
" He also defended both Giovanni and Graziano, who have both exited the show in the wake of allegations against them, saying: "I only know these people personally from directing them when I do the Strictly Come Dancing Live tour. They’ve been nothing but charming. I haven’t seen any of that.
" According to reports, Graziano kicked his 2023 dance partner Zara McDermott during heated rehearsals, while Amanda has made repeated claims that she is battling to recover rehearsals footage from the BBC to back up her claims of an unprofessional work environment. The 2024 season of Strictly is due to begin airing next month and will be the 22nd season of the show. A glittering collection of celebrities have been unearthed to take part in the new season - with EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick , Olympic star Sam Quek, chart icon Toyah Willcox and blind comedian Chris McCausland among the stars taking part.
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