Janette Manrara had some thoughts to share on the controversy surrounding some of Strictly's dancers as she insisted "that's how the show learns."
While he was in talks for this year's series of the BBC One competition, Giovanni Pernice was tipped to leave the programme when he was targeted with bullying allegations. His exit was later confirmed, while he was since moved on to another TV gig over in Italy.
Months later, while the Beeb was still investigating the claims against Giovanni, Graziano Di Prima as axed from the programme and admitted to kicking former dance partner Zara McDermott during a rehearsal.
The escalating storm cast a dark cloud over the competition's 2024 series, particularly as the line-up was rumoured to have been affected. But for Janette Manrara, the scandal is an opportunity for Strictly Come Dancing bosses to learn and perpetuate the show's success.
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Speaking to Prima Magazine, the It Takes Two host said: "Sometimes situations happen that shouldn’t have happened – that’s how the show learns."
She then continued, responding to critics claiming that the controversy could sign the end of the Strictly frenzy: "It isn’t a sign of the show falling apart, it’s a sign the show is moving forward and taking the right steps to not just entertain, but make sure everybody involved is enjoying themselves, feeling looked after and protected. In the last 20 years, Strictly has been working hard to make sure it keeps up with the times, entertains and is inclusive."
And while she has made no comment about the claims weighing against her husband Aljaz Skorjanec, Janette made it clear his return to the competition, two years after leaving the show following an alleged altercation with a female professional, had reignited their spark.
"We cried when that phone call came", she admitted before adding she thought the day of his Strictly return would never come. "We made that decision as a family and it was a big, tough decision because, at the time, we thought he would never go back. So when these conversations started happening again, all those butterflies we had when we started 11 years ago started coming back."
As mentioned, the BBC launched an internal investigation after bosses got wind of Amanda Abbington's claims against Giovanni Pernice, which he fiercely denied, but the results of the probe have yet to be revealed.
Earlier this week, BBC boss Tim Davie assured that the verdict, which was initially expected to be issued ahead of the 2024 series, was imminent. Tim told Amol Rajan on BBC Radio 4's Today show: "Many things in life would be useful, but we have to do the process."
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