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Kelly Rissman
US News Reporter
Former Strictly Come Dancing pro Janette Manrara has addressed Will Bayley’s revelation that the series left him with a “horrific” injury he’ll “never get over”.
Paralympian Bayley appeared on the BBC dancing series in 2019 and was forced to withdraw six weeks in after tearing his knee ligaments in rehearsals.
Speaking out in the light of a scandal surrounding training room conduct, Bayley recently said that the injury, which occurred when his professional partner Manrara made him redo a jump after a “rubbish” attempt, has resulted in an excruciating pain he will live with “forever”.
Manrara, who had a text exchange with Bayley about his comments soon after, has reflected on the star’s injury in a new interview, stating: “It was hard for both of us to have to leave the competition in the way that we did.
“Nobody wants to have to leave the competition with an injury, especially when we were doing so well,” she told Closer magazine, adding: “So of course, he felt frustration, and there were massive repercussions that he had from everything that happened on Strictly.’
However, Manrara insisted the pair “are still great friends”, continuing: “When all that came out we spoke directly to each other. We know in our hearts that we were an amazing team and had an incredible time together.’
The popular dancing contestant, once famed for its wholesomeness, has been embroiled in scandal as two professional dancers, Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima, have been axed due to their conduct in training.
After Bayley’s initial comments, which were made in August, Manrara’s spokesperson 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.
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“Janette has never received any complaints and has maintained friendships with all her partners, including Will.”
Strictly Come Dancing is returning for its 20th series on Saturday (14 September). Find the full line-up of contestants here.
