Ann Widdecombe says Strictly contestants need to be 'more robust'
Former MP Ann Widdecombe has hit back at complaints by Strictly Come Dancing contestants about their treatment on the BBC One dancing show saying "people should be a bit more robust".
Talking to Jeremy Vine on Radio 2, Widdecombe — who competed on Strictly in 2010 — said: "I've lost patience completely. These are all adults, I would take a very different line if it was an 18 or 19-year-old. But these are all adults."
On Tuesday, BBC director-general Tim Davie apologised to contestants who have had an experience that "hasn’t been wholly positive". It follows a storm of negative stories about the culture on the flagship programme and the treatment of contestants.
Rehearsals for the 2024 edition of Strictly have begun this week, but professional dancers Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima will not be returning to the show this year.
Pernice left the cast amid allegations about his treatment of former contestant Amanda Abbington, who has described his behaviour as “unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean”. He denies the claims.
Di Prima left the show after allegations about his treatment of Love Island star Zara McDermott.
In January 2024, Abbington revealed to The Sun: "I was diagnosed with mild PTSD [post traumatic stress disorder] after Strictly for several reasons and I told a few people about that, in the utmost confidence, among other things that were happening in my life at the time both professionally and personally."
Widdicombe, who was partnered with current judge Anton Du Beke and was eliminated ninth in the show's eighth series, reserved special criticism for the Sherlock star.
Read more:
Zara McDermott's Strictly journey amid Graziano Di Prima allegations
Strictly's Janette Manara says there have been no complaints about her
"Amanda Abbington, for goodness sake, is 53 and she claims she's got post traumatic stress disorder," she said on Radio 2. "Now, that's normally something you get if you've been in a war zone. And I do think people should be a bit more robust."
Broadcaster Christina Patterson, who was also speaking during the segment, defended Abbington saying: "I don't think it's fair just to say because this is not a war zone situation or whatever that you can't be stressed or traumatised by something. People can suffer extreme distress and even post-traumatic stress disorder for a variety of reasons, and I believe her."
Widdecombe, formerly of the Conservative party but a Reform party member since 2023, wrote for the Daily Express earlier this week: "what has been happening on the TV dance programme is a microcosm of what has been happening in Britain generally: the loss of humour and the growth of snowflakery and victimhood."
This article originally appeared on Yahoo TV UK at https://uk.news.yahoo.com/ann-widdecombe-strictly-contestants-more-robust-154240546.html
