Strictly pro Aliona Vilani admitted to forcing Matt Baker to dance through sickness as he accused her of ‘bullying’
STRICTLY professional Aliona Vilani admitted to brutally forcing Matt Baker to dance through sickness as he accused her of ‘bullying’.
The two were paired up together during the eighth series of the BBC dance competition in 2010.
Blue Peter legend Matt, 46, and Aliona, 40, missed out on the top spot to EastEnders‘ Kara Tointon and Artem Chigvintsev.
Aliona apparently spun Matt so hard practising for their take on the Viennese Waltz, that he started feeling sick.
Talking about what happened, Aliona previously said: “The first couple of days Matt had trouble with dizziness.
“He was getting quite sick but we don’t have too many hours of practice so I had to crack the whip and be tough and in the end he got over it.”
Matt added: “Just thinking about it, I’m feeling sick. There’s a lot of twirling and the whole room is constantly moving, even when we stop.”
Aliona joined the BBC dance show in 2009.
She appeared on the programme until 2015.
During her stint on Strictly she was also paired with Rav Wilding, Harry Judd, Tony Jacklin, Gregg Wallace and Jay McGuiness.
The dancer quit the show in 2016 so that she could move to America with her husband Vincent Kavanagh.
It comes after it was revealed that Aliona was part of Strictly’s most bitter row.
Her former celebrity partner Johnny Ball claimed that she LIED about an injury – and she threatened to sue him.
Aliona and Johnny danced together in 2012 – but she had had quit the show early on due to an injury.
He was the first celeb to be booted off when he was then partnered up with Iveta Lukošiūtė.
In 2017 Johnny launched an astonishing attack on his Strictly dance partners
The ex-children’s presenter told The Sun on Sunday: “Aliona fell on a flat floor in flat shoes and said she had broken her leg.
“The next day she flew to the South of France for a pre-arranged weekend with her boyfriend.”
The star was then paired with Iveta – and he claimed that she devised a routine that was too difficult for him.
He said: “When I was knocked out she said, ‘That’s funny, my contract ends on Tuesday’.”
Aliona denied his claims on X, formerly known as Twitter.
She said: “I am aware that Johnny Ball has made allegations regarding my fractured ankle during 2012 SCD, which I strongly deny.
“I have instructed solicitors and am taking legal action in relation to his allegations.
“It’s therefore not appropriate to comment further at this time.”