DANCE OFF
Strictly’s Craig Revel Horwood ‘shocked and blown away by Amanda Abbington rehearsal tape’ as he takes swipe at Giovanni
Hear Craig in his own words above
CRAIG Revel Horwood has revealed he's seen Strictly rehearsal tapes of Giovanni Pernice and Amanda Abbington and admitted "I was shocked and blown away".
The judge addressed the crisis behind the scenes on the BBC dance competition and begged for the investigation to "find the truth".
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Sherlock actress Amanda, 50, lodged a complaint about Giovanni, 33, after quitting Strictly last year.
She later accused Gio of blocking the rehearsal tapes that she insisted proved he had bullied her, which he has always denied.
Craig, 59, today spoke out on "the huge story" on This Morning and told presenters Josie Gibson and Craig Doyle: "I knew nothing.
"The judges are very separate. When the story erupted and came out in the press I was shocked like all the other judges ... I couldn't quite believe it.
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"We meet the pros and we meet the celebs on occasion throughout the show but we're very separate.
"We're on level two, for example, and we're ushered along, for obvious reasons.
"We have nothing to do whatsoever with their training or how they get to that point on a Saturday night.
"I just want the investigation to be over so I can find out myself, the truth.
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"Because I have nothing really to say, you know it's really hard to pass judgement or comment, on 'he said this she said that'. You know it's really difficult."
Asked if he had seen the footage that Amanda claimed Giovanni had blocked from being released, Craig said: "Of course and I was blown away by the whole situation."
Strictly’s Amanda Abbington raised the alarm over Giovanni Pernice to the entire cast, co-star reveals
Craig Doyle added: "So you were surprised and shocked?
"Yeah, completely and utterly shocked by the whole situation," the judge said.
The TV star said he hoped that the BBC were "doing enough" to fix the crisis-hit show, and went on: "I really hope so.
"It's a serious issue, and for the future of Strictly Come Dancing.
There is evidence out there,
Amanda Abbington
"It is a serious issue, and I think it has to be addressed."
Last week Amanda broke down in tears as she made some bombshell claims about her Strictly experience.
Amanda also reiterated her claims that Giovanni is blocking the release of rehearsal footage from last year's series, saying there are FIFTY hours recorded.
"There is evidence out there of what happened in that room and I'm not the one who's blocking it.
"I've said anyone can watch it, but he (Giovanni) doesn't want anyone to see it," she insisted.
During his interview on This Morning Craig also welcomed the move to introduce chaperones into Strictly rehearsals rooms.
The dancer, who is currently directing NOW That's What I Call A Musical, continued: "I think putting chaperones in is a really great idea.
"We have them all through the theatre, we had a pschologist in the theatre, in case the rehearsals are getting too much for you, you had someone to go to.
"And putting a chaperone in is just that one extra eye."
The choreographer said professional ballroom dancers are trained to "within an inch of their life" from a young age - but said celebrities come from a different world.
He continued: "Like an Olympian, you don't become an Olympian without someone telling you what is wrong with your work.
"But you have to remember Strictly is not the Olympics, it's a bunch of celebrities learning to dance from scratch from nothing, by amazing pros, who have been in the business since they were three and trained within an inch of their lives.
"So you are putting two very different powerhouses together. The celebrities are already famous for something else.";
Craig revealed his ballet teacher used to hit them "with canes" and said "it was good at the time" but hammered home the point that "times had changed".
I raised it, I talked to them about it, they said 'don't worry'
Krishnan Guru-Murthy
He said: "That was 45 years ago we're talking about now when I started training.
"And I had a Russian ballet teacher who would hit us with canes. It was actually quite good I thought at the time, it would obviously not be allowed now.
"She would get up and whack our hamstrings to make sure we weren't lifting by the thigh, because that's really important in dance.
"Life has developed, in the teaching world, everywhere, and I don't mean just in dance. For everybody, so I think it's really important to know what is and isn't allowed, and I just can't wait for the investigation to be done so we can get on and start enjoying dancing again.
"We have woke culture, we have all of that, and I think it's a good thing.
"Because it not only protects the dancer or the pro it protects the celeb as well as the production team, because you've got this tape, you work in television, there's a crew in there the whole time."
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It comes as Channel 4 newsreader Krishnan Guru-Murthy said he raised the alarm about Amanda's Strictly experience to production during last year's show.
Krishnan, who was partnered with Lauren Oakley, said: "So I raised it, I talked to them about it they said 'yes we're on it, don't worry'."
Strictly's Full Scandal So Far
Strictly Come Dancing's scandal has been growing over the past few months, with several major players speaking out about what went on. Here are the key moments of what's happened so far
16th May: Giovanni Pernice sensationally quits Strictly Come Dancing after nine years on the show.
17th May: Giovanni becomes the centre of an official investigation after three former partners – believed to be Amanda Abbington, Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh – make complaints to the BBC.
16th June: Giovanni releases an official statement vowing to clear his name and denies any wrongdoing.
8th July: Strictly confirms Aljaz Skorjanec will return to the series, replacing Giovanni, after initially quitting the show two years ago.
10th July: Amanda Abbington launches fresh legal proceedings to get the rehearsal footage from her time with Giovanni, after allegedly he refused to release the videos.
13th July: Graziano Di Prima is axed from Strictly for "gross misconduct" after footage of his treatment of Zara McDermott is brought to the attention of the BBC.
Graziano quickly broke his silence, apologising for his behaviour in a statement and saying he "deeply regrets it", adding his "intense passion and determination to win might have affected his training regime."
15th July: Strictly bosses implement new duty of care protocols, including having a chaperone present throughout all rehearsals.
16th July: Zara McDermott speaks out publicly for first time. She states while the production team were "amazing to work with", she found the rehearsal room "completely different", confirming there's footage of "certain situations".
19th July: Anton Du Beke is put under the spotlight for his "1970s attitude" and treatment of female celeb stars, particularly after allegedly referring to 2009 partner Laila Rouass as a "p***" after getting a spray tan.
21st July: Paralympian Will Bayley, who has limb condition arthrogryposis, revealed he was encouraged to leap from a table during a dance routine, despite fears. The stunt caused an injury that forced him to withdraw from the show.
22nd July: MasterChef's Gregg Wallace admits he broke down in tears and got a nasty stress rash on his face during his time on Strictly in 2014.
22nd July: Despite ongoing issues, the Strictly professional cast begin rehearsals for this year's series.
23rd July: Celebrity agent Melanie Blake claims she was sexually assaulted by an unnamed pro dancer while backstage on the show, and claims she witnessed ageism, rudeness and a rough treatment to the point of injury.
23rd July: Strictly is forced to beef up security after 'an intruder scales the wall of the rehearsal studio'.
23rd July: BBC boss Tim Davie breaks his silence on the ongoing allegations against Strictly, saying he is 'deeply sorry', adding: "Hundreds of people, be they pros, contestants or crew have been part of it and had a brilliant experience.
"At the same time if someone thinks there was something wrong or they want to talk about their experience then of course we want them to raise that with us. Be in no doubt we will take it seriously, listen and deal with it as appropriate."
24th July: Strictly 2023 star Krishnan Guru-Murthy holds a bombshell interview with Amanda Abbington on Channel 4 news, where she claims she was bullied, with some of the 'humilation being of a sexual nature'.
27th July: Laura Whitmore releases a statement regarding her Strictly experience, saying "I thought my experience was specific to me but I’ve since learned I was wrong".
She adds she is not part of the official complaint, but has come forward to support Amanda with the BBC, alongside others.
28th July: Laila Rouass speaks out against the accusations regarding Anton Du Beke, saying she "never felt pressured" by him and "personally insisted on six to seven hours training a day".
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