FORMER Strictly Come Dancing star Ian Waite has lifted the lid on life behind-the-scenes of the BBC show as he admits there were often “shouting matches” as well as few safeguarding rules to protect the pro dancers. 

Ian starred on seven series of the BBC dance competition show from his first appearance in 2004 until 2019. 

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He admitted he was devastated at being cut from the Strictly pro-line up, but has since moved on with other TV roles that include presenting for the BBC, including in It Takes Two. In 2023, he also put on his dancing shoes once more as he signed on to be professional on Dancing with the Stars Australia. 

“When I was dropped from Strictly, I was pretty devastated,” he revealed on the Stripping Off with Matt Haycox podcast. “It took me two years to get over it,” he added. 

“Presenting kept me connected to the Strictly family, but it was a tough transition. I was used to dancing, not talking for a living,” Ian said.

While no longer being on the show, Ian has kept up with the latest on Strictly news. So when host Matt asked him about the ongoing scandals involving pro dancers Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima, Ian took the opportunity to lift the lid on what things are like behind the scenes on Strictly for the dancers. 

Speaking from his own experience, Ian said: “I’ll be honest, it’s quite a shock and surprise that these allegations have been thrown around because, certainly in my time on Strictly, I never experienced anything like that.”

Strictly’s ongoing abuse scandal began when Amanda Abbington launched an official complaint with the BBC against her 2023 dance partner, Giovanni Pernice. 

The Sicilian dancer quit the series in May shortly before an official investigation was launched into his behaviour towards Amanda, the results of which are still pending as new evidence has come to light.

Meanwhile, other former contestants, such as Made in Chelsea star Zara McDermott, have also come forward with allegations of abuse against her pro dance partner, Graziano Di Prima.

Graziano was sacked after a video of him “hitting and kicking” Zara was shown to bosses.

However, both dancers have denied the allegations against them. 

Speaking on the podcast, Ian admitted things can get pretty heated behind the scenes and during rehearsals – but added that he never saw any abuse happening. 

“I mean, there were times when I fell out with my partner. Yes, and there were times when there was even, like, a lot of shouting matches going on, but it was for good reason,” he explained. 

“In the past I have pushed celebrities, and that’s just to get the best out of them but I would say that it was done in a way which just to bring out the best in them,” Ian added, explaining that tensions can rise behind the scenes. 

“It is like a teacher-pupil scenario at the end of the day,” he said. 

Strictly’s full scandal so far

Strictly Come Dancing’s scandal has been growing over the past few months, with several major players speaking out about what went on. Here are the key moments of what’s happened so far

16th May: Giovanni Pernice sensationally quits Strictly Come Dancing after nine years on the show.

17th May: Giovanni becomes the centre of an official investigation after three former partners – believed to be Amanda Abbington, Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh – make complaints to the BBC.

16th June: Giovanni releases an official statement vowing to clear his name and denies any wrongdoing.

8th July: Strictly confirms Aljaz Skorjanec will return to the series, replacing Giovanni, after initially quitting the show two years ago.

10th July: Amanda Abbington launches fresh legal proceedings to get the rehearsal footage from her time with Giovanni, after allegedly he refused to release the videos.

13th July: Graziano Di Prima is axed from Strictly for “gross misconduct” after footage of his treatment of Zara McDermott is brought to the attention of the BBC.

Graziano quickly broke his silence, apologising for his behaviour in a statement and saying he “deeply regrets it”, adding his “intense passion and determination to win might have affected his training regime.”

15th July: Strictly bosses implement new duty of care protocols, including having a chaperone present throughout all rehearsals.

16th July: Zara McDermott speaks out publicly for first time. She states while the production team were “amazing to work with”, she found the rehearsal room “completely different”, confirming there’s footage of “certain situations”.

19th July: Anton Du Beke is put under the spotlight for his “1970s attitude” and treatment of female celeb stars, particularly after allegedly referring to 2009 partner Laila Rouass as a “p***” after getting a spray tan.

21st July: Paralympian Will Bayley, who has limb condition arthrogryposis, revealed he was encouraged to leap from a table during a dance routine, despite fears. The stunt caused an injury that forced him to withdraw from the show.

22nd July: MasterChef’s Gregg Wallace admits he broke down in tears and got a nasty stress rash on his face during his time on Strictly in 2014.

22nd July: Despite ongoing issues, the Strictly professional cast begin rehearsals for this year’s series.

23rd July: Celebrity agent Melanie Blake claims she was sexually assaulted by an unnamed pro dancer while backstage on the show, and claims she witnessed ageism, rudeness and a rough treatment to the point of injury.

23rd July: Strictly is forced to beef up security after ‘an intruder scales the wall of the rehearsal studio’.

23rd July: BBC boss Tim Davie breaks his silence on the ongoing allegations against Strictly, saying he is ‘deeply sorry’, adding: “Hundreds of people, be they pros, contestants or crew have been part of it and had a brilliant experience.

“At the same time if someone thinks there was something wrong or they want to talk about their experience then of course we want them to raise that with us. Be in no doubt we will take it seriously, listen and deal with it as appropriate.”

24th July: Strictly 2023 star Krishnan Guru-Murthy holds a bombshell interview with Amanda Abbington on Channel 4 news, where she claims she was bullied, with some of the ‘humilation being of a sexual nature’.

27th July: Laura Whitmore releases a statement regarding her Strictly experience, saying “I thought my experience was specific to me but I’ve since learned I was wrong”.

She adds she is not part of the official complaint, but has come forward to support Amanda with the BBC, alongside others.

28th July: Laila Rouass speaks out against the accusations regarding Anton Du Beke, saying she “never felt pressured” by him and “personally insisted on six to seven hours training a day”.

10th August: Graziano breaks his silence on his Strictly axe, saying “these vile, false allegations have ruined my life.”

He also told of the “shocking” end to his friendship with Zara McDermott.

We also revealed that Amanda Abbington was also quizzed for a second time as Strictly execs recruited 15 new staff to monitor rehearsals.

11th August: Just as the investigation was expected to conclude, Amanda made a dramatic intervention. Giovanni was on the brink of being cleared until Amanda handed in more text messages.

24th August: Graziano Di Prima called in top lawyers to sue the BBC and to try to clear his name. He recruited big hitters Whitestone Chambers to fight his corner.

A source said: “They’ve also looked at his BBC contract and believe there are grounds to sue.”

Meanwhile, the BBC also delayed releasing the findings of the probe into Giovanni Pernice. The Sun revealed that the results of the three-month investigation were unlikely to be announced in August.

Ian also highlighted that during his time on the show there was a lack of safeguarding and rules in place to protect the dancers on the show.

He said: “I think in any work situation, it doesn’t matter what it is, even if it’s TV or whatever, there has to be a level of respect and certain lines that have to be drawn, surely. 

“One of the problems here is, as a pro dancer, we weren’t given all of the safeguarding rules or the rules that we should be sticking to as far as with our celebrities. 

“I suppose now that situation has arised, then obviously there’s got to be a lot more safeguarding and a lot more… we need to know what the rules are.”

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He added that without safeguarding rules in place, there’s no way to prove allegations. 

“It’s like in a corporate business, where they get different celebs, interview them, and gather their accounts. But unless it’s all filmed, it’s your word against theirs,” he said. 

Ian’s comments come after Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood also spoke out about the need for there to be more protection for dancers, as well as celebrities. 

Speaking about the new safeguarding measures that have been brought into effect for the current season, Craig then emphasised that “everyone must be protected – including people that are teaching,” especially behind closed doors. 

He added that while professional performers had to be subject to high standards, the use of chaperones will help prevent mistreatment on both sides. 

These chaperones are now present in all rehearsals, while two wellbeing specialists have joined the production team.

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Series 22 of Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturdays at 7.20pm on BBC One and is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Results episodes will air on Sundays from Week 2.