Strictly’s Shirley Ballas admits to ‘pulling the professionals up’ on bullying behaviour
Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas has touched on bullying in the dance world and how she always ‘takes care’ of people who may be experiencing it
Amanda Abbington accused her dance partner Giovanni Pernice of bullying while on Strictly(Image: BBC)
Since Strictly Come Dancing first aired in 2004, the series was hailed for its wholesome take on family entertainment, but more than two decades later, the BBC ballroom show has faced a series of scandals.
In 2023 multiple allegations of bullying came to light and more recently there’s been reports of a cull of the professional dancers with claims five famous names would not be retuning for this year’s show.
In an interview with The Times, lead judge Shirley Ballas, touched on the topic of bullying within the wider dance world saying how she “pulls up professionals on their behaviour” and that she ‘takes care’ of those who are ‘perhaps bullied.’
The 65-year-old’s comments comes after Strictly faced a series of bullying allegations. They first surfaced in 2023 when Sherlock actress Amanda Abbington quit the BBC show after a few weeks and accused her professional dance partner, Giovanni Pernice of behaving in an “inappropriate, mean, nasty bullying”, manner.
Giovanni who had been a favourite among his fellow dancers, judges and the viewers, denied the allegations made against him.
But in a bid to follow it’s duty of care policy, the dancer was axed in June the following year amid an investigation. After months of an internal review of the accusations, the BBC confirmed that they upheld complaints which were related to verbal bullying and harassment. But it stated that the accusations of physical aggression had not been founded.
At the time the verdict was announced Good Morning Britain presenter Ranvir Singh who was also partnered with Giovanni in 2020 came out and said: “Don’t be fooled by his angelic face! He is a fiery Italian, super strict.”
While the broadcaster did its best to rebuild itself following the public scandal, it was hit by yet another. This time it was another professional dancer Graziano Di Prima, who was accused of physical “mistreatment” of his celebrity dance partner Zara McDermott.
This is said to have occurred in the same year Amanda Abbington quit the show due to her treatment. At the time Graziano’s spokesperson confirmed the dancer had “kicked” Zara during rehearsals, which ultimately led to his sacking.
Apologising for his behaviour, he defended himself by saying that his “intense passion and determination to win” may have been to blame for his tough stance during training.
In her 2021 autobiography, Behind the Sequins: My Life, Shirley wrote about bullying and misogyny in the dance world, and in her recent interview addressed the issue again. She said: “I’m always taking care of other people that perhaps are bullied and I’m always pulling the professionals up on their behaviour.”
When asked if the celebrities taking part in Strictly come to her for advice or help, she added: “Well, you see, on the programme, I have a lane that I stay in.
“I am a judge and I can talk about your feet, your body, your legs, your arms, your synchronisation, all of that. I don’t get involved in anything else.”
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