Strictly Come Dancing – live: News updates as Janette Manrara addresses Will Bayley claim

Former Strictly professional dancer Janette Manrara, who now presents the companion show It Takes Two, has addressed claims made by her former celebrity partner, Paralympian Will Bayley.

Bayley sustained a life-changing knee injury after Manrara made him redo a jump following what she described as a “rubbish” attempt.

While he said he “didn’t have an issue” with Manrara, the sportsman attributed the blame to the pressure the show’s producers put on the professionals.

Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood has shared his view in on the scandal currently engulfing the popular BBC reality series.

Horwood, who serves as a judge on Strictly alongside Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas, and Anton du Beke, addressed the scandal during an appearance on BBC Radio Wales.

“It’s a shock and news to me,” he said, claiming that he had heard about the allegations “through the press”.

Former Strictly professional James Jordan has hit out at resurfaced rehearsal footage that shows him “mistreating” his celebrity partner amid the show’s ongoing scandal.

In the clip that’s being shared online, Jordan, who appeared on the BBC dancing competition from 2006 to 2013, is heard fat-shaming his celebrity partner, former Casualty star Georgina Bouzová, and telling her he would “drag her across the floor and scream at her”.

At another stage, Jordan throws a chair and says he “doesn’t care” if she’s “physically broken”. According to Jordan, “the footage was shot and edited together by the BBC team for transmission on [companion show] It Takes Two 18 years ago in specific ways for the purposes of ENTERTAINMENT”.

Another Strictly Come Dancing contestant has spoken out against their time on the show.

Paralympian Will Bayley appeared on the BBC dancing series in 2019 and was forced to withdraw six weeks in after tearing his knee ligaments in rehearsals.

He is now shedding light on his behind-the scenes experience amid a scandal that has shone a spotlight on the show’s duty of care protocols.

Bayley said the injury, which was caused after his professional partner Janette Manrara made him redo a jump after a “rubbish” attempt, has resulted in an excruciating pain he will live with “forever”

A third Strictly Come Dancing star has allegedly been named as a “person of interest” amid an investigation into the BBC show’s off-screen rehearsals.

It’s been claimed that the unidentified professional has been highlighted in the days after Graziano Di Prima was dropped from the show for kicking his celebrity partner Zara McDermott on last year’s series.

A Strictly complaint allegedly made by TV presenter Steve Backshall about his professional partner in 2014 has resurfaced in the wake of the scandal.

Backshall is said to have complained that Ola Jordan “bullied” him during his time on the BBC series, following which the pair were granted a chaperone to oversee their rehearsals.

A source told MailOnline: “Steve is a very bouncy personality, up for any challenge, but Ola’s harsh treatment has flattened him and made him lose confidence.”

Italian dancer Graziano Di Prima has been dropped from Strictly over “events” he “deeply regrets”.

He appeared on the series with Zara McDermott in 2023 and, earlier this month, a video of a behind-the-scenes incident is believed to have been brought to the attention of the BBC.

The footage has not been made public, and the circumstances surrounding it are unknown, but it’s alleged that it shows Di Prima kicking the documentary presenter and former Love Island star.

His spokesman said: “There is never a time when kicking, or any sense of that is right. And he knows that. He knows he’s made a mistake. He apologised at the time.”

Amanda Abbington, the first celebrity to draw attention to alleged mistreatment in the rehearsal room, is now considered the Strictly whistleblower

Over the weekend, Abbington described Giovanni Pernice as “cruel” and “abusive”.

Pernice has denied all allegations that have been thrown his way.

Since January, Strictly Come Dancing has found itself at the centre of controversy – and things only seem to be getting worse.

We’ll be running through all the updates to keep you briefed on what exactly the scandal is about and will be reporting any developments as they occur.

For starters, here is a timeline detailing everything you need to know.