Strictly Come Dancing star Will Bayley has become the latest celeb to speak out about their experience on the BBC show, revealing what caused him to receive ‘horrific injuries’.
The Paralympian appeared on Strictly in 2019 but was forced to quit in week seven following an injury sustained in training.
Bayley has since come forward to detail what happened, and state that he still feels the effects of the incident today.
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While training with his professional partner Janette Manrara, Bayley describes being made to do a jump he didn’t want to do.
The table tennis star stated in an interview with The Sun that his coach had also told the show he could not do any jumps.
Bayley has arthrogryposis, a condition which effects his limbs, as well as being diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphona in childhood.
He said that Manrara had encouraged him to do the jump after she called an earlier attempt ‘rubbish’.
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Upon landing, he tore his anterior cruciate ligament and required reconstructive knee surgery.
He told The Sun: “I was really determined, so I went for it and smiled at the camera. When I landed I just had the most horrific pain. I still have flashbacks now.”
Rather than being rushed to hospital, Bayley claims he had ice placed on his knee by a paramedic and didn’t go until two days later.
According to an interview he did with This Morning, he heard a loud crack upon landing, and couldn't walk for six months.
However, Bayley said he thought his partner was 'under a lot of pressure by the bosses to perform a certain way and I think it was them pushing me that caused the accident'.
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He continued: “She was a passionate teacher and she was part of the decision to do the jump. I feel she could have protected me more, but I didn’t have an issue with her. It was mentally hard and I didn’t want to let her down.”
The Paralympian also claims no one from the BBC ever reached out to him to say sorry.
A BBC spokesperson said it had 'longstanding protocols for dealing with injuries if they occur and that includes contestants receiving all necessary treatment and support as required'.
A representative for Manrara said: "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. Janette has never received any complaints and has maintained friendships with all her partners, including Will."
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The controversy comes after both Zara McDermott and Amanda Abbington also came forward with their negative experiences of the show.
It was reported that McDermott was kicked by professional dancer Graziano Di Prima, who was released from the show.
Abbington made allegations of inappropriate conduct against her partner Giovanni Pernice, who was also left out of the new Strictly series.
Tim Davie, director-general of the BBC, said he was ‘disappointed’ when he heard about allegations.
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He went on to say: “I am editor in chief of this organization. We care about duty of care and want people to have a positive experience. Overall we are very proud of the BBC and our teams care deeply about these issues so when you hear about these things you are inevitably disappointed.”
He also said: “I’m very sorry that anyone has had an experience on Strictly that hasn’t been wholly positive. That is something we do reflect on, and I am sorry about that.”
Davie confirmed there are no plans to cancel the upcoming series, saying: “We have a brilliant lineup this year who I’m sure are itching to get going and you will be hearing more about this in the coming weeks.”
Topics: Strictly Come Dancing, BBC, TV and Film, TV
Michael Slavin