Dame Arlene Phillips thinks the "pressure" on 'Strictly Come Dancing' is greater than ever before.
Dame Arlene Phillips served as a judge on Strictly from 2004 until 2008
The 81-year-old choreographer served as a judge on the BBC Latin and ballroom show - which ahead of its September return has come under fire with some former contestants accusing their professional partners of bullying - from 2004 until 2009 but things that while it has always been a "tough" gig , the "stakes are higher" now because of how everyone on it now is "catapulted" to immense fame.
Speaking on ITV's 'Good Morning Britain', she said: "It was hard, it was tough, and dancing is tough, we go through a lot with our bodies, but it’s become such a big thing.
“Now people have been catapulted to enormous fame, including the professionals.
“The pressure now is further than it was for the professionals, it’s their own personal fame.
“They (the professionals) all have their own shows now; nothing like that happened (when I was judging), it didn’t have the stakes as high.
"The pressure was there, everybody felt it, but you felt it in your training, in wanting to find a way to become a better dancer, but now is another level."
The broadcaster has decided that going forward, celebrities will be given chaperones for their time on the show and, amid the official investigation, rehearsals will be recorded.
Former 'Love Island' contestant Zara McDermott, 27, recently claimed she was "kicked" by Graziano Di Prima - who will not return for the upcoming edition of the competition - in rehearsals and sometimes "locked herself in the toilet" out of fear even though she signed up to the show fully aware of the dedication that was needed.
Meanwhile, 'Sherlock' actress Amanda Abbington made a formal complaint after accusing her dance partner Giovanni Pernice of abusive behaviour, and he was subsequently not included in this year's lineup of professionals.
Tagged in Amanda Abbington Zara McDermott