Strictly feud revealed after dancers snub Aljaz as he returns to show after secret backstage clash
A STRICTLY feud has been revealed after some of the dancers have snubbed Aljaž Škorjanec as he returns to the show.
Last week The Sun revealed that the dancer, 34, is set to make a comeback on the BBC programme despite a ‘shocking’ bust-up with a female pro.
Aljaž, who is married to It Takes Two host Janette Manrara, was a professional dancer in the competition between 2013 and 2021.
The Sun recently revealed how the star left under a cloud in 2022 after an altercation on the show’s tour with a female dancer.
The Slovenian dancer will be taking part in the upcoming series of the BBC show – and there is one other pro who doesn’t follow him on Instagram.
Strictly 2023 winner Vito Coppola, 31, hasn’t pressed the follow button.
However the rest of the professional dancers follow his account.
But a show source said the alleged incident has been brushed aside because the tour was seen as separate to the main show.
The BBC has said no formal complaints were made about Aljaz at the time.
But the source told the Sun: “Those who raised concerns at the time had been angry Aljaz was brought back for this year’s series, so felt vindicated when the incident was finally exposed.
“So they’ve been totally gutted it seems to have been totally swept under the carpet again.
“The feeling backstage very much seems to be ‘what happens on tour, stays on tour’.
“People are saying because the tour is run by BBC Studios it’s not the same as bad behaviour on the show.
“It felt bonkers enough that the BBC had replaced under-fire Giovanni Pernice with Aljaz, who left under a cloud.
“But the cast and crew invested in this cannot believe the attitude is essentially that unless it happened on the main show, nobody cares.”
Back in May 2022 it was revealed he had quit the programme after nine years.
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”.
10th August: Graziano breaks his silence on his Strictly axe, saying “these vile, false allegations have ruined my life.”
He also told of the “shocking” end to his friendship with Zara McDermott.
We also revealed that Amanda Abbington was also quizzed for a second time as Strictly execs recruited 15 new staff to monitor rehearsals.
11th August: Just as the investigation was expected to conclude, Amanda made a dramatic intervention. Giovanni was on the brink of being cleared until Amanda handed in more text messages.
24th August: Graziano Di Prima called in top lawyers to sue the BBC and to try to clear his name. He recruited big hitters Whitestone Chambers to fight his corner.
A source said: “They’ve also looked at his BBC contract and believe there are grounds to sue.”
Meanwhile, the BBC also delayed releasing the findings of the probe into Giovanni Pernice. The Sun revealed that the results of the three-month investigation were unlikely to be announced in August.
He wrote on Instagram: “On a beautiful sunny day in May 2013 one phone call changed my life forever!
“It went like this… ‘We would like to offer you a position on @bbcstrictly as a professional dancer’.
“A dream became a reality and it was the biggest opportunity for a 23-year-old boy from Slovenia.
“It didn’t matter how many beautiful ballrooms I performed in during my competitive career, stepping onto the sacred Strictly floor was the most nervous I had ever been.
“Being a part of a group of professionals that inspire and push you to be better every step of the way is humbling and I will carry that inspiration with me forever.
“Finally, thank YOU, the people that watch Strictly who have been so kind to me all these years.
“I have lots of exciting stuff planned that I will fill you in on soon. I can’t wait to see what the future holds! KEEEEEP DANCING!”