Good Morning Britain host Kate Garraway has weighed in on the recent controversy surrounding Strictly Come Dancing.
Professional dancer Graziano Di Prima was axed from the show on Saturday (July 13), following reports of alleged gross misconduct towards his 2023 celebrity partner Zara McDermott.
He wrote in a statement posted on Instagram: "I deeply regret the events that led to my departure from Strictly. My intense passion and determination to win might have affected my training regime. 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."
His departure follows in wake of fellow pro Giovanni Pernice not returning for the 2024 series, who is the subject of an internal investigation by the BBC over show training. Pernice has "rejected any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour" in a statement shared last month.
Related: GMB's Kate Garraway "looking a bit emotional" as she shares health update
While teasing a debate on Strictly's future coming up on Good Morning Britain, co-host Richard Madeley read out one viewer comment that suggested celebrities should be prepared for hard training.
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"Look, professional dancers are used from childhood to this kind of hard, hard training," read the comment. "Do not enter something called Strictly if you can't take it."
Kate, a contestant on the show in 2007, then voiced her opinion on this take, stating: "I suppose the difference is, with these allegations, it's quite abusive. It's not just working physically hard.
"We don't know and some of the people accused have absolutely denied it. Maybe there's a line or maybe there isn't, depends on what you think."
Related: Richard Madeley confirms he's been asked to do Strictly
Later on, during the debate itself, Richard asked his co-host for her thoughts on future Strictly partnerships having chaperones present in training rooms, an alleged BBC proposal that has been reported by several media outlets.
"In my experience, a long time ago... there were always people there in the studios, filming it, filming the rehearsals," she said.
Kate competed with professional-dancer-turned-Strictly-judge Anton Du Beke in the fifth series of the show. The two were eliminated from the competition in week seven.
Strictly Come Dancing will return later this year on BBC One, while spin-off Strictly: It Takes Two airs on weeknights on BBC Two. Both shows are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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Emily is an experienced freelance entertainment writer and editor, reporting on all things TV, film, soaps and showbiz. An NCTJ-qualified journalist, with a First Class Honours degree in Journalism from the University of Sussex, Emily is a former Deputy News Editor and Evening News Editor at Digital Spy. She has previously worked at Hello magazine, BBC South News and GoodtoKnow.
A small and big-screen obsessive – with subscriptions to every TV and film service under the sun – Emily knows her movie stars from soap stars, and is always clued up on the latest reality show dumping, just-dropped trailer or off-screen spat. She's interviewed a number of celebrities over the years, with highlights including The Masked Singer host Joel Dommett and GMB's Kate Garraway (who "loved" her trousers).
Emily counts Sharon Horgan and Julia Davis as her TV heroes, and is a loyal Wes Anderson fan. LinkedIn
