Come dance strictlyThe longest-serving judge has insisted that despite all the controversy surrounding the BBC show, dancers remain tough on their celebrity partners to prevent the series becoming “watered down and vanilla”.
Dancer and choreographer Craig Revel Horwood, who has been involved with the BBC show since its inception in 2004, has spoken out amid the ongoing controversy over allegations of poor behavior by professional dancers behind the scenes and in the rehearsal studios.
In an interview with The sun newspaper, Revel Horwood said of the celebrities will participate in this year’s upcoming series:
“You just have to be able to handle a little criticism. Otherwise we live in a world where no one is criticized, and that world becomes watered down and vanilla, where no one tries.”
“I hope standards don’t drop this year.
“When I cast for shows during rehearsals, I still have to be quite strict. I think you should be.
“Can you imagine an Olympian getting gold and his or her trainer not being strict?
“As far as me saying, ‘Oh, that was really bad, you should try it again,’ I’m not going to cry about that.”
His words follow the departure of two high-profile dancers amid allegations of bad behavior. Graziano di Prima was accused of kicking his partner Zara McDermott, something he denies, but he has left the show and apologized for his ‘competitive training regime’. The other, Giovanni Pernice, denies all claims made against him last year by his partner, actress Amanda Abbington, and the BBC has yet to release its findings on an internal investigation into the matter.
The BBC recently announced new protocols for the series, including chaperones in all rehearsal rooms, something Revel Horwood welcomed. He said:
“I think this is the idea of a chaperone, because certain behavior can be misinterpreted.
“It’s the same in dance. We speak a lot of French, so it’s jargon.
“It’s about learning a completely different language.”
He added: “However, I would absolutely, absolutely not tolerate abuse in a practice room.
The 20th anniversary of Come dance strictly will be launched in the coming weeks, with this year’s line-up already announced.
