Backlash after Strictly Come Dancing pro tells BBC 'don't hire Italians' amid bullying scandal

A Strictly Come Dancing star has faced backlash after telling the BBC to stop hiring Italian dancers.

Dance pro Ian Waite, who is no longer on the ballroom show, made the suggestion amid a bullying scandal involving former cast members Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima.

Pernice, 34, left the show in April following accusations of bullying from his celebrity dance partner, Amanda Abbington. He has denied the allegations.

Di Prima, 30, was also dismissed from the show after admitting to kicking his partner, Zara McDermott.

Speaking on the Stripping Off With Matt Haycox podcast, Wait said: "Well, there's a link. They're both Italian. And, a little bit of advice – don't book Italians anymore."

Waite, 53, also claimed he wasn’t given guidance on how to train celebrity partners.

"One of the problems is that, as pro dancers, we weren't given any safeguarding rules or guidance on how we should behave with our celebrity partners.

"What's offensive or abusive if there are no clear guidelines? We had to figure it out ourselves," he said.

Waite, who recently won Dancing with the Stars Australia, acknowledged tensions with his own partners in the past but framed that as part of the competitive nature of the show.

"There were times when I fell out with my partner, yes. And there were even times when there were a lot of shouting matches going on, but it was for a good reason. Unless it's all filmed, it's your word against theirs," he added.

Last week another former Strictly Come Dancing star shared her relief that one of the professional dancers hasn't been given a celebrity partner in this year's series.

Speaking on BBC's Morning Live, Helen Skelton, who competed in 2022's Strictly, told dancer Kai Widdrington: "It's the return of the Glitterball! Kai, we said this is your first time with us, I can say this, we're friends.

"We saw you've not got a partner but we're glad because it means you can hang out with us all week."

Widdrington, 29, recently shared his disappointment about not being paired with a celebrity for the upcoming series.

In an interview with the Daily Star, he said: "Everyone wants to get a celebrity. Unfortunately, it wasn't my time this series. Two boys couldn't have one this series and sadly I am one of them."

As Strictly marked its 20th anniversary, the BBC avoided addressing the bullying allegations during the show's launch episode on Saturday.

But while it had a glittering start with a high-energy dance number, nearly a million fewer viewers tuned in compared to last year, audience figures indicate.

An average of 5.5 million viewers watched the BBC One programme.

A total of 6.2 million viewers watched the first episode of Strictly in 2023, while an average of 5.4 million watched 2022’s launch, and the 2021 pre-recorded launch show drew seven million.

The BBC declined to comment.