Strictly Come Dancing pro Nadiya Bychkova has addressed claims she had criticised experienced celebrities on the show. This year, Nadiya is partnered with former England rugby player Chris Robshaw. The pair ended up in the bottom two with Thomas Skinner and Amy Dowden, who were ultimately eliminated.
Taking to Instagram at the weekend, Nadiya weighed in on claims she had "slammed" celebrities with dancing experience.
In a post, the pro dancer responded to "stories in the papers" claiming she had criticised celebrities with more experience and the producers of the BBC show.
"You may have seen some stories in the papers suggesting that I have 'slammed experienced celebs' or 'waded into a row over trained celebrities' or 'criticised producers'. It is interesting to see it twisted like that because, to be perfectly clear, I haven't," Nadiya wrote.
"I love the fact that Strictly is for people of all abilities and one of my great joys in life is teaching people to dance," she continued.
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Nadiya went on to talk about the different levels of dancing abilities the celebrities may have when beginning their Strictly journey.
"It's great to have celebrities with some experience on the show and it's also beautiful to see how people like Chris, who have never danced and performed before, improve," she wrote.
"That is what Strictly is all about and that is why it is loved by millions of people," she concluded.
One of this year's celebrity contestants, musical theatre actress Amber Davies, has responded to Nadiya, calling the pro dancer "the most gracious and kindest".
"You're the most gracious and kindest woman I have ever met," the former Love Island winner wrote as a comment under Nadiya's post.
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"Thank you Amber," the dancer replied. "I'm glad you can see the truth beyond the silly headlines. Keep being brilliant."
Strictly co-host Tess Daly and singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, a series 11 finalist, also praised Nadiya, commenting with hand clap emojis.
In a follow-up Instagram post, Nadiya also praised her celebrity partner Chris.
"It's a long journey from being bent over and fighting someone for a rugby ball all day to dancing a Viennese waltz in front of millions and he was AMAZING," she wrote.
"I love the fact that he is enjoying it so much and learning every day."
For his part, the former England rugby captain wrote: "You're an amazing partner and teacher thank you. Am loving it and slowly finding a little bit of rhythm somewhere in my body!"
After dancing a samba on Week One and a Viennese Waltz for their second live show, the couple is set to perform next on Movie Week on 11 October.
Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturdays 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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Reporter, Digital Spy
Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy.
Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).
