Support truly
independent journalism
Our mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.
Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.
Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.
Louise Thomas
Editor
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”.
The footage was resurfaced online after Graziano Di Prima was dropped as a Strictly professional, following alleged mistreatment of his celebrity partner, Zara McDermott, on last year’s series.
Di Prima’s dismissal followed an investigation into the show’s rehearsals after Amanda Abbington said she was “left with PTSD” after participating on the “horrible” show with professional Giovanni Pernice, who has also left the series.
However, after it was claimed a third professional had been highighted as a “person of interest” by investigators, Jordan defended himself from criticism, urging people not to “link” the footage shared online with the other allegations.
The dancer said the compilation of clips “were included for the purpose of exaggeration” as “the BBC thought it would be fun”. He added that producers “loved to paint me as the bad guy”.
Jordan said he “played along” with this depiction, but highlighted that, if there had been a genuine issue in the rehearsal room, “that footage would NEVER have been allowed to be used in that way by the BBC themselves”.
He wrote on Instagram: “You can see Georgina laughing about it in the studio and in the clips... And I have never received ANY complaints from any of my celebrity dance partners in the eight years I was on the show.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
“I would never have deliberately upset anyone and pride myself on good friendships with my celebrity dance partners.”
Jordan said “there is no comparison to be drawn between those awful allegations and the highly produced and exaggerated VT from the BBC archives that is featuring on social media”, adding: “To be clear, I deplore bullying or abusiveness in the workplace.”
The BBC declined to comment specifically about Jordan’s statement, but told The Independent in response to claims a third dancer was being investigated: “As we told The Sun, we will always listen if people want to make us aware of something or raise it with us directly.”
The corporation previously said if issues are raised with its shows, it will “always take them seriously and act swiftly as appropriate”.
While announcing his departure from the show, Di Prima attributed his off-screen behaviour to his “intense passion and determination to win”, writing: “I deeply regret the events that led to my departure from Strictly. Respecting the BBC HR process, I understand it’s best for the show that I step away.
“While there are aspects of this story involving external influences that I can’t discuss at this time, I remain committed to being strong for my family and friends.”
It has now been revealed that every celebrity and professional partner will be assigned a chaperone to oversee all rehearsals going forward. The new series of Strictly – the show’s 20th anniversary – will begin in September.
