In recent years, it seems as though dance show Strictly Come Dancing has a curse of its own. There have been bullying allegations, romantic entanglements and fallings-out – and this week, there’s been a fresh media storm about Welsh contestant Wynne Evans.
Evans was seen on Saturday night’s show placing his hand around the waist of his partner Katya Jones. When she moved his hand away, the resulting footage went viral on social media prompting apologies from both Evans and Jones, who insisted the entire thing had been a “joke.”
Evans told BBC Radio Wales on Monday that he was “absolutely heartbroken by the things that have been written about me,” while Jones told It Takes Two that she “can’t bear sitting here watching this man being portrayed as someone he is not”.
“Was it a silly joke, yes, was it a bad joke, yes.”
The furore – and fallout – over the clip speaks volumes about where the show finds itself today. For a light variety show, Strictly is no stranger to controversy. It’s famous for its “Strictly curse” with several professional and celebrity dancers over the years splitting from romantic relationships either during or straight after the show, but this year has been particularly tricky for the show.
We’ve rounded up Strictly’s most controversial moments over the past 20 years.
This all kicked off when actress Amanda Abbington lodged a formal complaint against Strictly pro dancer Giovanni Pernice. Abbington quit the show last year after only five weeks and accused Pernice of being “abusive, cruel and mean” during their training together. Pernice left Strictly show ahead of this season.
More stars then started coming forward, including Pernice’s former dance partners Good Morning Britain host Ranvir Singh and former Love Island presenter Laura Whitmore. Pernice was been outspoken in his defence, saying that he’s a “perfectionist” and that he likes to win.
The controversy went up a gear when former Love Island contestant Zara McDermott released a statement last month about her 2023 dance partner, Strictly pro Graziano Di Prima. Di Prima was promptly dropped from the upcoming series, with McDermott making allegations that he spat on her and kicked her during training.
An independent investigation was carried out, which cleared Pernice of the abuse allegations: complaints of verbal bullying and harassment were upheld by the report, while claims of aggression and threatening behaviour were not.
The BBC also apologised to Abbington, which she called a “vindication of [her] complaint”. A spokesperson for Pernice said that he was “pleased” the report “has not found any evidence of threatening or abusive behaviour.”
Abbington also spoke out about the abuse she’d received since making her complaint. “In the days, weeks and months since I contacted the BBC, I’ve been accused of being a liar, a troublemaker and of being ‘mad and unstable’. I’ve also received rape and murder threats and a bomb threat was sent to my place of work. My family and children have also been subjected to threats and intimidation,” she said in a statement.
As part of a raft of new safeguarding measures, chaperones have now been put in place for training room rehearsals. The BBC also said two roles had been created that were “dedicated to welfare support – a celebrity welfare producer and a professional dancer welfare producer (both started work in August); and additional training for the professional dancers, production team and crew.”
Arlene Phillips faces alleged ageism
The choreographer and former professional dancer was a judge on Strictly Come Dancing from its debut in 2004. However, she was replaced by Alesha Dixon who joined for the 2009 series. The move came as a shock to many fans and pundits, with allegations that Phillips was dropped due to her age. The then 65-year-old was replaced by a then 31-year-old Dixon, but the BBC vehemently denied that her contract was not renewed due to her age.
In a cruel twist of fate, Phillips’ agent died the day before she found out she was not being invited back. She told the Sunday Times: “I no longer had a place on Strictly, but no agent, no one, to deal with it.” She added: “It was a really awful moment. I loved Strictly.”
It seems it was all in vain anyway, as Dixon quit the show after only three seasons to join the judging panel of ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent.
John Sergeant quits for being… too good
Political journalist and broadcaster John Sergeant tangoed onto our screens in 2008 with his professional dance partner Kristina Rihanoff. Sergeant received consistently low scores from the judges, but was saved from elimination three weeks in a row by the public vote.
His most memorable moment? Dragging his dance partner across the floor during the couple’s interpretation of a Paso Doble. At the time, he was dubbed “Winnie the Pooh in sequins” but judge Arlene Phillips hit out at his questionable success on the show saying: “Do I think he could win? Oh, I would be desolate if he won. I personally would like to see him off the show.”
Her wish was granted, as Sergeant decided to quit. He said in a statement: “I am sorry to say I have decided to leave Strictly Come Dancing. It was always my intention to have fun on the show and I was hoping to stay in as long as possible.” He went on to say that he believed there was a real chance he could win, and that even for him that would be a “joke too far”.
Ed Balls dances to Gangnam Style
Before they started adding social media influencers to the line-up, Strictly loved inviting politicians onto the show. Ann Widdecombe, part of John Major’s government in the early Nineties, was paired with Anton Du Beke in 2010. The following year, former Conservative MP Edwina Currie waltzed onto the dancefloor.
In 2016, former Labour MP and shadow chancellor Ed Balls was the political choice for Strictly Come Dancing. The most memorable moment during the politician’s stint on the show was dancing to the viral K-pop song Gangnam Style with pro partner Katya Jones. It was a sight to behold, with Balls at one point straddling Jones while performing the signature Gangnam Style move. Why was this controversial? Some viewers took exception to the politician raging around on TV while the Labour Party was in turmoil.
But it has to be said that “Disco Balls” (as he became known) won over the hearts of the nation and turned out to be a popular contestant on the show. Len Goodman told him after one performance: “You are not always the judges’ number one choice but one hundred per cent you are the people’s champion.”
Seann Walsh and Katya Jones are caught kissing
In perhaps the most heated controversy that Strictly saw before last year’s allegations, comedian Seann Walsh and his professional dance partner Katya Jones set the internet ablaze in 2018 with a scandalous kiss. Why so scandalous? Well, at the time, Jones was married to fellow pro dancer on the show Neil Jones, while Walsh was in a long-term relationship with actress Rebecca Humphries.
To add salt to the wound, the night that Walsh and Jones were spotted kissing was Humphries’ birthday — ouch. The controversy went from bad to worse when Humphries spoke out about what had gone on, alleging that Walsh had called her a “psycho” for suggesting that something might be going on between him and Jones, despite fans noticing their unmistakable chemistry.
Walsh and Jones appeared on the BBC Two spin-off show It Takes Two to address the situation, but Walsh’s career suffered and he received a barrage of abuse online. He has since picked himself back up, having appeared on ITV’s I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here in 2022 and welcoming his first child earlier this year.
James Jordan comes under fire
Professional ballroom dancer James Jordan was a Strictly pro from 2006 until 2013. Long before any of the complaints surfaced about alleged abuse between pro dancers and their celebrity partners, Jordan already had a reputation as the show’s “bad boy” due to his no-nonsense attitude. He was dropped by the BBC as a pro dancer before the 2014 series and seemingly was unhappy about the decision. He wrote on Twitter (now X): “Yes it’s true I WILL NOT be returning to ‘BURN THE FLOOR’…. Sorry, I mean ‘Strictly Come Dancing’”
After leaving the BBC show, Jordan went on to win ITV’s Dancing On Ice in 2019. Now, footage has resurfaced of his Strictly training from 2006 with celebrity dance partner and Casualty actress Georgina Bouzova.
The footage was edited together by the production team of It Takes Two, and appears to show Jordan poking fun at his dance partner, saying: “Come on chubby”. After the footage resurfaced, Jordan was quick to take to social media and defend himself.
He claims that the footage was edited in a way that “they are not allowed to do … these days as it misrepresents what actually happened”. He went on to add: “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 8 years I was on the show.”
Kevin Clifton, Karen Hauer and Stacey Dooley: the Strictly curse strikes again
Before Neil and Katya Jones ended their marriage in 2019, another married Strictly couple also called it quits under controversial terms. Professional dancer Kevin Clifton, who was on the show from 2013 until 2019, was married to fellow Strictly pro Karen Hauer from 2015 until 2018.
The pair seemed like a dream team, regularly performing in group dances together and delighting fans with their chemistry. However, their marriage fell apart and they confirmed their split in 2018, but continued to work together on the show.
Hauer told The Mirror last year that she had wanted to salvage the relationship, saying: “I would have never let go of it” and that she would have fought for the marriage. But it seems Clifton hadn’t felt the same, starting a relationship with his dance partner Stacey Dooley shortly after the pair won the coveted glitterball trophy in December 2018. After a year of dating, Clifton announced in 2020 that he would not be returning to the show and the pair welcomed their first child, a daughter called Minnie, at the start of 2023.
