From the infidelity ‘curse’ to alleged physical abuse, Strictly reveals our need for a Saviour

Strictly Come Dancing is in jeopardy with two male professional dancers, Graziano di Prima and Giovanni Pernice exiting the show amidst accusations of bullying.

The affectionately named Strictly, has been on our television screens for two decades, but this current scandal is not the first whiff that all is not well. The term ‘Strictly Curse’ was dubbed by tabloids after those participating, whether as a celebrity or professional dancer, subsequently broke up with their partner or the relationship was threatened.

On the first ever series of Strictly back in 2004, news reader Natasha Kaplinsky and professional dancer Brendan Cole were paired together. They became a couple after Brendan split with his fiancé, Camilla Dallerup, three weeks into the show.

When Countdown presenter Rachel Riley appeared on Strictly in 2013 she was married to her now ex-husband Jamie Gilbert. However, after just 16 months of marriage, the pair announced they were set for divorce in November 2013. She went on to marry her Russian dance partner, Pasha Kovalev.

Brendon Cole, who worked on the show between 2004 and 2017 has been reported as saying that ‘secret romances’ are normal happenings on the show

Brendon Cole, who worked on the show between 2004 and 2017 has been reported as saying that ‘secret romances’ are normal happenings on the show. Speaking to Entertainment Daily about the 2023 series participants, he said; ‘I’d been very surprised if there wasn’t something going on somewhere with somebody because that’s human nature.’

However the show is not in the press now for secret romances. Strictly Come Dancing pro Graziano Di Prima, 30, has admitted to kicking his celebrity partner Zara McDermott, 27, during rehearsals last year. This came just weeks after Giovanni Pernice, 33, was suspended during a BBC investigation over claims of off-camera misconduct made by former contestant Amanda Abbington, and two other former celebrities on the show. 

‘There is never a time when kicking, or any sense of that is right,’ Di Prima’s spokesman, Mark Borkowski, told BBC News on the 18th July.

A previous contestant, Ann Widdecombe has defended the show amid the claims of abuse behind the scenes. The former Conservative MP, who competed on the BBC show in 2010 with Anton Du Beke, dismissed claims of bullying, insisting the celebrity contestants are in control and should be able to tell the professional dancers when they’ve had enough. 

Strictly Come Dancing seems to me to be a microcosm of the highs and lows, the good and the evil of life and human nature.

Strictly Come Dancing seems to me to be a microcosm of the highs and lows, the good and the bad of life and human nature. But if ever there was a show that reveals our need of a Saviour, it is Strictly. We need saving from our propensity to go our own way, as Jesus highlights in Matthew 7:13-14: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

I don’t know how many Christian contestants there have been over the years, but Brendon Cole is right; it is human nature to be drawn to what our flesh desires. We see week by week the connections the dancers make, the passion in their dances, and the inevitable vulnerability they share with each other.

Are these the building blocks to infidelity?

Former Strictly contestant and radio presenter, Reverend Richard Coles, 62, appeared on the show in 2017 where he was partnered with Australian professional dancer Dianne Buswell. Speaking in an interview with Times Radio he said of the bullying claims: ‘I’ve spoken to both contestants and also professionals about it. And I think no one has been surprised that this stuff has surfaced. I remember somebody who worked on the show for years and years turning to me and saying ”Strictly is a wonderful show with a dark heart” and I never really understood what that meant.’

So should the show be axed? What can we learn from it? Perhaps overwhelmingly that we all need Jesus and his help in our life and relationships. Maybe that sounds a bit basic, but it is the most profound truth of our day: We all need Jesus. 

Listen to Ann Widdecombe speak about her time on Strictly on Premier Christian Radio here.