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Another Come and dance if necessary the candidate spoke out against their time on the show.
Paralympian Will Bayley appeared on the BBC dance series in 2019 and was forced to withdraw for six weeks after tearing knee ligaments during rehearsals.
He now sheds light on his behind-the-scenes experience in the middle of a scandal who has shone in the spotlight on the due diligence protocols of the issue.
Bayley said the injury, which was caused after professional partner Janette Manrara made him re-jump after a “failed” attempt, resulted in excruciating pain he will live with “forever”.
The table tennis player had to perform the move with his knees straight due to arthrogryposis, which prevents some movement of the limbs, but he fell to the ground and immediately felt “horrible pain.”
“We practiced a few times and I was very careful,” he said. The sun. “But then Janette said my jump was ‘sucky’ and that I needed to smile more, go for it and show some passion.
“I was lying on the ground, thinking my career was over. I heard my leg crack, I couldn’t breathe.”
Recalling how the injury affected his training, he added: “I’ll never get over it, I’ve got it for life. I already have a limiting disability, but this is on top of that. I wake up in the morning and I’m in pain. I can only train for a few hours before I’m in pain.”
Bayley said he has “no problem” with Manrara, who now co-hosts Strictly accompanying show It takes twobut blamed the pressure on the show’s producers on the professionals.
“Ultimately, I think she was under a lot of pressure from her superiors to act a certain way and I think it was them pushing me that caused the accident,” he said, but added: “I feel like she could have protected me more… It was mentally tough and I didn’t want to let her down.”
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Earlier this month, Graziano Di Prima admitted to kicking his celebrity partner Zara McDermott; he has been dropped from the upcoming series.
The revelation came to light during an investigation into the series, launched after Sherlock star Amanda Abbington raised concerns about his treatment in the rehearsal room by Giovanni Pernice.
Pernice has denied any allegations of abuse and will no longer be part of the show when it returns in September.
Bayley said he didn’t feel like “anyone was really looking out for him” after his injury, saying: “There was no duty of care – I should have been taken to hospital as soon as I had the accident, but all they were interested in was trying to get me to dance.”
He said it was “a horrible time for me and my family” as he “never knew if he would be able to play table tennis again”. Bayley said the BBC had refused him compensation for loss of earnings but paid for his surgery in 2020.
The Independent has contacted the BBC and Manrara for comment.