Strictly star Angela Rippon forced to 'play down' difficult injury during time on show
Strictly Come Dancing stopped Angela Rippon from revealing that she had hurt her leg while starring on the hit dancing show in 2023 alongside Kai Widdrington, her agent has claimed.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4 about the incident, Sue Ayton explained: "Angela was writing a column at the time for a newspaper and she wanted to include this because it was such a wonderful story how everyone had come together.
"And we were told to scale this back, you are not to mention you cut your leg and there was blood. Well, why not? Because this is showing the BBC at their best. We were encouraged to play down the fact that she had hurt herself so as not to puncture the illusion and fantasy."
She continued: "And I felt that was too controlling and the public would like to know some of that… They need to look at the entry point and how people are prepared. This is terribly hard work. What we found was that the BBC creates an illusion and a fantasy of this wonderful world. Rehearsals are all happy but at the same time it is very hard work."
The news comes after Graziano di Prima was let go from the show for gross misconduct, where reports claimed that the dancing pro hit and kicked his star partner, Zara McDermott, during rehearsals. He has since apologised for his behaviour.
Giovanni Pernice has also not been invited to return to the show after his dance partner, Amanda Abbington, quit mid-way through the 2023 series, labelling the pro "nasty" and claiming to have PTSD from the experience.
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Reverend Richard Coles, who starred in the series in 2017, spoke about the "dark heart" of the show in an interview with Times Radio, saying: "I remember somebody who worked on the show for years and years telling me, saying, Strictly is a wonderful show with a dark heart. And I never really understood what that meant, but perhaps one of the things that meant is what you don't see, which is how intensely competitive it is.
"And also, I think the fact that it's so important to the BBC, how much effort goes into maintaining the glitter on the glitter ball if you see what I mean. All human experience is mixed, we know that. Introduce that element of competition to it. You know, it's a career-making or a career-breaking experience for some people. And you can understand why the smile perhaps gets a little fixed and the glitter a little bit shiny."
He added: "I've spoken to both contestants and also professionals about it. And I think no one has been surprised that this stuff has surfaced."
"The BBC should put in measures to mitigate it. I think having people from production in rehearsal rooms, which is the one part of the process, it is the most intense part of the process, and the one that is most often not seen, although there are of course crews coming in and out all the time. But I think some sort of chaperone system to ensure that dancers know what they're supposed to be doing and that contestants know what they're supposed to be doing too. I mean, I don't want to take it away from Strictly, it was a fantastic experience for me and I loved it."
