Strictly thrown into further crisis as Nadiya Bychkova makes complaint
Strictly was thrown into more crisis yesterday after one of his most loved female professional dancers Nadiya Bychkova (pictured) met with BBC bosses to complain about the show. The Mail can reveal that the Ukrainian beauty made contact with chiefs at the Corporation on Wednesday evening and was then swiftly invited in for a face-to-face meeting to discuss her concerns.
She is said to be 'upset' about certain matters relating to the Saturday night dance show and was keen to raise them with the BBC as they continue to carry out their investigation into Amanda Abbington 's claims that Giovanni Pernice bullied her during rehearsals – claims which Pernice strenuously denies. Show sources now say that the crisis is 'worsening by the day' as they are being more claims and accusations about Strictly – which has been the jewel in the BBC's crown for 20 years.
One told the Mail: 'Nadiya got in touch out of the blue and wanted to talk to the bosses. They are taking every single murmur of a complaint seriously now so she was immediately asked in. 'She has been on the show for some years so will have seen and lot and possibly also experienced unpleasant behaviour, she will have worked with many people.
'Things really are getting serious now, it is a mess and it is getting worse by the day. 'This is now the third complaint about some kind of issue on the programme. It came as a surprise but now the inquiry into Giovanni Pernice is ongoing it has opened the opportunity for others to complain when perhaps they wouldn't have done before. 'There appears to be some very unhappy people on Strictly. Now there are fears about where this will end, literally nobody knows.'
It was also revealed yesterday that Ms Bychkova, 33, has split from fellow Strictly dancer Kai Widdrington after 18 months together. The pair, who began dating in 2022 after she danced with former BBC Breakfast host Dan Walker, are understood to have gone their separate ways in June, at the end of their lucrative tour Behind the Magic.
Ms Bychkova had previously been engaged to Slovenian footballer Matija Skarabot, 36. Despite reports that their split is amicable, friends of the former couple say that they are 'no longer on friendly terms' which they fear will make for a frosty atmosphere when the new series begins in September.
The Mail on Sunday revealed on Saturday that Graziano Di Prima, the Italian pro dancer, had been fired from the show after five years for hitting and kicking his partner Zara McDermott. The bombshell came two months after Mr Pernice quit the show after Ms Abbington instructed legal firm Carter-Ruck to represent her in her complaint to the BBC about him. Mr Di Prima, 28, took to social media to address his behaviour his sacking was made public and yesterday his publicist Mark Borkowski took the unusual decision to do his own interview about his client.
Speaking to the BBC, Mr Borkowski confirmed that the Sicilian dancer had kicked Ms McDermott during rehearsals. He said: 'There is never a time when kicking, or any sense of that is right. And he knows that. He knows he's made a mistake. He apologised at the time.'
Mr Borkowski added that Mr Di Prima didn't clearly remember the incident but said he 'crossed the line.' He added that he has concerns for Mr Di Prima's mental health but said he was already working as a labourer back in Italy.
The scandal prompted the BBC to implement a duty of care structure to stop future fall out. They will have a producer in every rehearsal as well has having dedicated staff to communicate with the celebrities and professionals about any worries they have.
A BBC spokesman said of Ms Bychkova's meeting with the broadcaster: 'While we do not comment on individuals or personal matters, as we have said previously we will always listen if people want to make us aware of something or raise it with us directly and we have appropriate procedures and processes in place to manage this.' Ms Bychkova didn't respond to a request to comment.
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