Former Strictly star admits she’s ‘really disappointed’ and ‘no longer watches’ show amid BBC scandal
BBC Breakfast star Carol Kirkwood has admitted she’s “really disappointed” about abuse claims on Strictly Come Dancing.
Carol, 62, who competed on the BBC dance competition show in 2015, also revealed that she no longer watches the show.
Beloved BBC Breakfast weather presenter Carol has shared her thoughts on Strictly Come Dancing amid the ongoing scandal involving Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima.
The professional dancers have both been axed from the show following allegations of misconduct in rehearsals.
Opening up on the situation while speaking on the Off Air… with Jane and Fi podcast, Carol admitted she was “surprised” to learn what has been going on behind closed doors.
“I’m really disappointed as well. They’re doing the right thing by investigating all these claims,” she said.
Carol made it clear that she supported the BBC “looking into” all the allegations.
She also opened up about her experience on Strictly and working with dance partner Pasha Kovalev.
Carol made it clear she “loved” her time on the show and had no problems with Pasha or the other contestants at the time.
She said: “He was so patient, so kind, I would say, ‘I can’t do this’ and he’d say, ‘Tomorrow you’ll be able to.’”
“He was lovely to me, so I’ve got absolutely no complaints whatsoever. I will never forget it and I don’t regret doing it.”
With that said, Carol also admitted that she’s no longer a big Strictly fan. She has released that she doesn’t watch the show religiously now, having been on the other side of the screen.
“I know too much and I know what they’re going through with the nerves.
“When you come down the stairs as the programme opens, obviously you’re waiting behind the stairs to go up them. That is nerve-racking.
“You’re looking for the nearest fire escape to get out of there because you’re consumed by nerves, so I haven’t watched it for a long time,” she admitted.
Carol’s comments came in response to the Strictly abuse allegations.
Strictly's full scandal so far
Strictly Come Dancing's scandal has been growing over the past few months, with several major players speaking out about what went on. Here are the key moments of what's happened so far
16th May: Giovanni Pernice sensationally quits Strictly Come Dancing after nine years on the show.
17th May: Giovanni becomes the centre of an official investigation after three former partners – believed to be Amanda Abbington, Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh – make complaints to the BBC.
16th June: Giovanni releases an official statement vowing to clear his name and denies any wrongdoing.
8th July: Strictly confirms Aljaz Skorjanec will return to the series, replacing Giovanni, after initially quitting the show two years ago.
10th July: Amanda Abbington launches fresh legal proceedings to get the rehearsal footage from her time with Giovanni, after allegedly he refused to release the videos.
13th July: Graziano Di Prima is axed from Strictly for “gross misconduct” after footage of his treatment of Zara McDermott is brought to the attention of the BBC.
Graziano quickly broke his silence, apologising for his behaviour in a statement and saying he “deeply regrets it”, adding his “intense passion and determination to win might have affected his training regime.”
15th July: Strictly bosses implement new duty of care protocols, including having a chaperone present throughout all rehearsals.
16th July: Zara McDermott speaks out publicly for first time. She states while the production team were “amazing to work with”, she found the rehearsal room “completely different”, confirming there’s footage of “certain situations”.
19th July: Anton Du Beke is put under the spotlight for his “1970s attitude” and treatment of female celeb stars, particularly after allegedly referring to 2009 partner Laila Rouass as a “p***” after getting a spray tan.
21st July: Paralympian Will Bayley, who has limb condition arthrogryposis, revealed he was encouraged to leap from a table during a dance routine, despite fears. The stunt caused an injury that forced him to withdraw from the show.
22nd July: MasterChef’s Gregg Wallace admits he broke down in tears and got a nasty stress rash on his face during his time on Strictly in 2014.
22nd July: Despite ongoing issues, the Strictly professional cast begin rehearsals for this year’s series.
23rd July: Celebrity agent Melanie Blake claims she was sexually assaulted by an unnamed pro dancer while backstage on the show, and claims she witnessed ageism, rudeness and a rough treatment to the point of injury.
23rd July: Strictly is forced to beef up security after ‘an intruder scales the wall of the rehearsal studio’.
23rd July: BBC boss Tim Davie breaks his silence on the ongoing allegations against Strictly, saying he is ‘deeply sorry’, adding: “Hundreds of people, be they pros, contestants or crew have been part of it and had a brilliant experience.
“At the same time if someone thinks there was something wrong or they want to talk about their experience then of course we want them to raise that with us. Be in no doubt we will take it seriously, listen and deal with it as appropriate.”
24th July: Strictly 2023 star Krishnan Guru-Murthy holds a bombshell interview with Amanda Abbington on Channel 4 news, where she claims she was bullied, with some of the ‘humilation being of a sexual nature’.
27th July: Laura Whitmore releases a statement regarding her Strictly experience, saying “I thought my experience was specific to me but I’ve since learned I was wrong”.
She adds she is not part of the official complaint, but has come forward to support Amanda with the BBC, alongside others.
28th July: Laila Rouass speaks out against the accusations regarding Anton Du Beke, saying she “never felt pressured” by him and “personally insisted on six to seven hours training a day”.
Currently, a legal investigation is underway, looking into Amanda Abbington’s accusations that Giovanni bullied and humiliated her in training.
Graziano’s conduct is also being investigated after his former dance partner Zara McDermott came forward with allegations against him. The dancer admitted to kicking Zara, but denies claims that he spat at her.
In the wake of these allegations, the BBC is implementing some changes for the 2024 series of Strictly, which is just weeks away.
A representative for the show confirmed that celebrity participants will have chaperones in all future rehearsals to oversee the teaching.