Strictly Come Dancing star Janette Manrara has admitted she’s cut off two professional dancers who are at the centre of the BBC scandal.
The mother-of-one, 40, said she hasn’t tried reaching out to Graziano Di Prima or Giovanni Pernice since allegations around their ‘abusive’ behaviour came to light.
Despite sharing ‘great’ friendships with the former Strictly pros, Janette said she is a ‘girls girl’, when speaking about the ‘complicated’ and ‘messy’ scandal.
She said: ‘I’ve tried to steer clear. It’s complicated and I’m a bit of a girl’s girl. I just don’t know.
‘They were both really great friends and I feel very saddened by everything that’s happening, not just to them but to the [celebs] involved. It’s such a messy time right now.’
The scandal erupted when actress Amanda Abbington quit the show last year before claiming that her partner Giovanni was abusive towards her – later leaving the show.
Soon after it emerged that Graziano had been sacked for ‘kicking’ his partner Love Island star Zara McDermott.
Elsewhere in the interview, Janette revealed the two-word response she sent to her former celebrity partner Will following his shock claims.
The Paralympian and table tennis player, 36, claimed his professional partner Janette made him redo a jump that caused the lifelong injury amid the latest drama for the ‘fatally tarnished’ show.
Will was forced to bow out early of the BBC competition when he heard his leg ‘crack’ on his second attempt at jumping from a table in studio rehearsals – after Janette said his first was ‘rubbish’.
As Will called on the BBC to apologise for his experience on the scandal-hit programme, Janette has now revealed how she reached out to Will by text.
She said: ‘I messaged him [Will] because we are really good friends. He immediately said, ‘I’m so sorry, it’s not meant to look like that. I don’t want you to feel like it’s you”.
She claims she sent a simple two words back to Will, writing: ‘It’s OK’.
Speaking to The Sun, Janette said: ‘I enjoyed dancing with him so much. It’s the only time I’ve actually ever cried on Strictly, when we did our Couple’s Choice. It was a dedication to Great Ormond Street Hospital.’
Asked if she was shocked to hear of all the allegations coming out about Strictly now, Janette said: ‘Yes and no. I was shocked, because you just never want to hear that.
‘But it is a dance show, it gets physical and it is a competition. There is intensity that sometimes happens in the rehearsal rooms. Everybody wants to do their best. Every professional pushes themselves, but it should always be in a positive way.’
Last week on This Morning, Will spoke further about the ordeal saying it was ‘traumatic’ and revealed he wrote to the BBC with his concerns after the show but was made to feel like he was ‘making a mountain out of a molehill’.
He also called for huge changes on the show and better treatment for people with disabilities – and said that ‘some kind of responsibility or sorry would have been amazing to hear’ at the time.
BBC chief Tim Davie did in fact apologise for the ongoing scandal on Tuesday – saying he was ‘very sorry’ to anyone who ‘has had an experience on Strictly that hasn’t been wholly positive’.
Will was born with arthrogryposis which limits the range of motion in the joints of his limbs and completed the move with straight knees.
Will said on This Morning: ‘I wasn’t able to walk for six months it was mentally hard and my family had to deal with it.’
‘What we need to ask is how we can support people with disabilities. People are saying it’s woke. Jesus if you can’t say that then I don’t know what you can say to be honest.’
‘I am grateful that they covered my surgery but there wasn’t much communication afterwards.
‘People are saying that I’m joining the band wagon but I’ve been saying this for years. It’s only now that I am being listened to. Some kind of responsibility or sorry would have been amazing to hear.
‘I have Strictly fans saying ‘how can you say this’. I’ve been through worse so I can deal with people’s comments. I believe that it could have been avoided with the right care.’
He went on to insist that he didn’t blame his professional partner Janette for what happened ‘at all’.
Will said: ‘Janette was so supportive. We are both so competitive and we wanted to win. She was very professional and is so talented.’
A representative for Janette subsequently told the BBC: ‘Janette had a great time dancing with Will and one of her favourite moments on the show was doing their contemporary couples choice.
‘Her celebrity partner’s safety and enjoyment was always the priority throughout her time on Strictly. ‘
Strictly has been plunged into chaos in recent weeks as a number of allegations of abuse from professionals have come to light.
Next an unnamed female Strictly dancer was brought into the scandal after it was reported that they screamed in their male partner’s face and berated him off-camera.
Two other professionals – Ola Jordan and Janette – were brought into the drama as the show was branded ‘fatally tarnished’ by one insider.
Amanda quit the show last year before claiming that her partner Giovanni was abusive towards her. He later left the show after vehemently denying all claims.
Amanda, 50, abruptly left the BBC show citing ‘personal issues’ and hasn’t been seen on screen since, even quitting social media last month in the wake of her former dance partner’s sacking.
Giovanni, 33, was suspended while a BBC probe is underway over allegations made by Amanda and two other former celebrity partners.
Strictly bosses then announced plans to introduce chaperones during training, and the appointment of two new welfare producers, after Graziano’s shock sacking from the show.
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Source: New York Post
