Strictly Come Dancing: Timeline of abuse allegations
It's all smiles on stage - but behind the camera, is there another story?
Transcript
00:00It's all smiles on stage, but behind the camera, is there another story?
00:06Alarm bells were raised when, in October last year, celebrity contestant Amanda Abbington
00:10withdrew from the show after six weeks, citing personal reasons for being unable to continue.
00:15It was inappropriate, it was mean, it was nasty, it was bullying, and I put up with
00:21it for five weeks.
00:23By May, Abbington's professional dance partner, Giovanni Paniche, denied any suggestion of
00:28abusive or threatening behaviour that were cropping up in the media.
00:31By June, Paniche was axed from the show's line-up.
00:34You were surprised and shocked?
00:36Yeah, completely and utterly shocked by the whole situation.
00:41In July, another professional, Graziano Di Prima, also left the show under a cloud and
00:46admitted later to kicking celebrity partner Zara McDermott in rehearsals.
00:50As the story became a bigger and bigger one for the Beeb, the director-general was forced
00:54to step in.
00:56Of course, alongside the fun and entertainment, there will be a degree of competitiveness
01:01and the line should never be crossed.
01:04While the celebs that spoke out received an outpouring of support from many, they were
01:07also forced to endure a slew of further abuse.
01:11Police investigated a death threat made to Abbington after she was warned she'd die on
01:15stage unless she retracted her statement about Paniche.
01:18The death threats and the rape threats towards not only myself but my daughter and the threats
01:23of death to my son.
01:26Women's Aid is a charity supporting victims of domestic violence and said the upsetting
01:30accounts from Strictly contestants about Graziano and Giovanni's behaviour show the urgent need
01:35to create a media culture where women feel safe to speak up.
01:38We must also ensure we don't promote a culture that elevates abusive behaviours in the name
01:43of entertainment.
01:44And now the new series of Strictly is on the way, with the show preparing to celebrate
01:4820 years on air.
01:49The BBC has insisted it has robust duty of care procedures, which it has bolstered with
01:54a series of new measures including giving stars chaperones in rehearsals.
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