Craig Revel Horwood has insisted allegations of abusive behaviour from 'Strictly Come Dancing' professionals came as a "shock" to him.
Craig Revel Horwood is surprised by the allegations surrounding Strictly
The 59-year-old choreographer and his fellow judges - Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke - are kept "very, very separate" to the contestants on the BBC Latin and ballroom competition so he had no idea about the alleged misconduct until claims were made in the media and people such as Amanda Abbington and Zara McDermott spoke publicly about their experiences.
He told BBC Radio Wales: “I’m just finding out [about the allegations], like everybody else, through the press.
“For me it’s a shock, and news to me, because the judges are never present at any of the teaching. We literally come in on a Saturday and just judge what we see before us.
“So we’re kept very, very separate to the rest of the company.
“For us, it’s complete news. Every day that I read about something I think, ‘That can’t be right,’ so I’ll wait and see what happens with the investigations, but certainly we have nothing to do with that.”
But Craig insisted he isn't worried about the future of 'Strictly' after Graziano Di Prima was dropped from the show after allegedly being violent towards Zara, while Amanda and others have complained about Giovanni Pernice's teaching methods.
Asked if he's worried about the future of the show, he said: “I don’t think so because it’s one of those shows that belongs in the people’s hearts that are at home who love dancing, and there’s nothing better than seeing someone come from nothing and work hard and move up to being absolutely phenomenal.”
The BBC have pledged to make changes to "strengthen welfare and support" on the show, including introducing chaperones to rehearsals.
And Craig welcomes the move.
He said: “When I was in [the musical] 'Annie' we had chaperones everywhere, because the kids and laws and all of that stuff.
“And I’ve noticed in the theatre world we have chaperones and people we can speak to if you’re having a down day.
“We have psychologists on the shows now, and all of that, so I think it’s just a normal progression of what’s happening in life now. I think it’s good to have that.”
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