Susanna Reid says Strictly contestants ought to be ‘supported’ after bullying scandal
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Susanna Reid has spoken out on her experience on Strictly Come Dancing after the BBC show was struck with a bullying scandal over the summer.
Italian professional dancer Giovanni Pernice was accused of verbal bullying and harassment by Sherlock actor Amanda Abbington, who withdrew from the 2023 edition of the show.
Pernice has denied any wrongdoing while the BBC’s months-long investigation into his conduct acknowledged Abbington’s complaints of verbal bullying and harassment, but concluded that the Italian dancer was not physically aggressive to his celebrity partner.
Since the probe, Abbington has said she is considering further action about specific allegations such as the claim that Pernice made a shocking sexual gesture towards her.
Reid competed on Strictly back in 2013, where she finished as the runner-up with her dance partner Kevin Clifton, who she said had “such a great experience with”.
Speaking to The Times, the Good Morning Britain presenter was asked about her time on the show amid the bullying controversy.
The 53-year-old said: “It is like being on a different planet because everything sparkles, and so it’s a shame when it doesn’t for other people.”
“I think it’s really important that if people have had a bad experience that is addressed and they are supported,” she added.
Earlier this year, Reid became emotional on Good Morning Britain as she paid tribute to another of her former Strictly partners, Robin Windsor, who passed away in February.
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The professional dancer, who appeared on the main show between 2010 and 2013, was paired with Reid for the Children In Need special in 2011.
Reid hailed him as a “remarkable dancer” who had an “incredible personality” on the ITV morning show, following the news he had died aged 44.
Reid became choked up as she tried to announce the news, before asking her co-presenter Ed Balls to read out the statement from dance show company Burn the Floor confirming Windsor’s death.
Reflecting on their time together, she described him as “larger than life”, adding: “I fell in love with him and fell in love with dancing when I danced with him back then. He was an absolutely remarkable dancer, incredibly strong, so creative. He was just so enthusiastic about dancing.
“I just adored him. He was the most incredible personality and as soon as I danced with him, there was something very special about him.”
