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Strictly pros MUST be strict with celebs or show will be vanilla, says Craig Revel Horwood after abuse row
In an exclusive interview, veteran judge Craig reveals why he hopes 'the standards don’t drop this year'
THERE is not much Craig Revel Horwood hasn’t seen during his long career.
As the only judge who has been on Strictly Come Dancing since it began 20 years ago, he has been through every one of the show’s highs and lows.
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But the hit BBC show is currently facing the biggest crisis in its history, amid allegations that pros Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima mistreated contestants in rehearsals.
While Giovanni vehemently denies any wrongdoing, Graziano has said he regrets some of his actions.
But as the investigation into Giovanni’s alleged behaviour towards actress dance partner Amanda Abbington rumbles on, Craig has urged the Strictly pros to continue to be strict with their celebrities during training, otherwise the upcoming series will become too “vanilla”.
In an exclusive interview, Aussie Craig, 59, says: “I hope the standards don’t drop this year.
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“When I’m teaching casts for shows in rehearsals, I still have to be quite strict. I think you have to be.
“Can you imagine an Olympian getting gold with his or her trainer not being strict?
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“As far as saying, ‘Oh, that was really bad, you need to try it again’, I’m not gonna cry over that.
“You just have to be able to take some criticism. Otherwise, we’re living in a world where no one is criticised, and it will become watered down and vanilla, where no one’s trying.”
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The dance veteran also believes some celebs on Strictly would sue if they’d had the same training as he did — and he reckons some pro dancers could need protecting from their famous partners on the show.
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He continues: “I never would have made it without criticism.
“If my teachers hadn’t told me my arms were terrible, way too loose and wild and out of control, I would still be wild and out of control.
“My Russian ballet teacher was always touching my hamstrings. That happened to everyone, to make you work from the hamstring up.
“People will say I was caned, but it’s not about that. It’s about a connection of instructing the muscle to work from underneath and not the top.
"It’s a really simple way of doing it, but if you do that in a Strictly class, you’ll be sued.”
‘Abusive behaviour’
The scandals began in January when Sherlock actress Amanda, who quit last year’s contest early, accused Giovanni, 33, of “threatening and abusive behaviour”.
She branded the Italian star “nasty” and claims to have suffered mild PTSD from working with him.
Graziano, 30, was then fired by BBC bosses after it was claimed he “hit, kicked and spat” at Love Island star Zara McDermott, 27, during rehearsals last year.
In a statement, the pro dancer’s representative said: “There is never a time when kicking or any sense of that is right, and he knows that.”
Graziano has now been sacked, and the BBC confirmed in June that Giovanni will not return to Strictly for this series.
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While the BBC carries out an investigation, Strictly is putting extra measures in place for the cast of the upcoming series.
A member of the Strictly production staff will chaperone all rehearsals and there will be two new dedicated welfare producers.
Craig says: “There are a lot of celebrities who have never been through dance training before, but you ask any dancer what it’s like, and they will say it’s tough.
"But there has to be a limit and there also has to be communication and an understanding between the celeb and the pro.
"I think that’s where the chaperone idea is really good, because some behaviour may get misconstrued.
I totally and absolutely would not put up with any abuse in a rehearsal room.
Craig Revel Horwood
“For example, if I went into a board meeting at a big company or the NHS, I would not understand a word they were saying, because they have their own jargon and their own thoughts.
“That could be misconstrued as abuse, because I haven’t been taught all of that.
“It’s a similar thing in dance. We speak in French a lot, so it’s jargon.
“It’s about learning a whole different language.”
Craig adds: “However, I totally and absolutely would not put up with any abuse in a rehearsal room.
“Everyone must be protected, including the teachers, because it can happen the other way around, and no one is taking that into account at all. And that does happen.
“I can’t speak for Strictly, because I’m never in the rehearsal room with them, but certainly in the theatre, celebrities can get on their high horse and become demanding.”
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Of all the contestants in the upcoming series, Craig is most excited about singer and actress Toyah Willcox, 66, having previously directed her in a West End revival of the hit Sixties musical Calamity Jane in 2003.
He says: “She’s a good dancer but it’s gonna be a challenge.
“She’s done show dancing and character dancing in that musical. But that was blowing in from the Windy City in Calamity Jane, which is very different to a foxtrot or tango.
“But I’m looking forward to her because her personality is fantastic.”
With Strictly not due to return until the end of next month, Craig has a while to wait before he is back on our screens doing what he calls his “Saturday job”.
But he’s been keeping busy directing and choreographing a new ’80s jukebox show, Now That’s What I Call A Musical.
Starring former EastEnder Nina Wadia, it will feature performances from 1980s chart stars Sinitta, Carol Decker and Sonia.
‘A homophobic time’
Craig says: “I began my dance career in 1983 in a show called West Side Story, so the music from that era for me was enormous because it shaped who I was. It made me want to dance.
“Boy George singing Karma Chameleon was a huge thing when I was 18, and I just loved the fact he wore make-up and fought back against everything in such a homophobic time.
“He really shaped me, as did so much of the music from that time, so taking on this musical felt like a personal thank you to the music of the era.
“That’s what drew me to it, as well as having the actual artists performing in it.”
And Craig is busy planning his wedding to horticulturist Jonathan Myring, too, having got engaged four years ago in Tasmania — although the big day will not be until 2027, as he is now focusing on doing up the house he and Jonathan bought in Peterborough in October 2021.
Craig says: “It’s going to be a big party, so we need to save for it.
“Plus, I need to wait for my garden to grow.
Everything is speculation, and I don’t want that to ruin everybody’s enjoyment of what is a fantastic format.
Craig Revel Horwood
“We’ve just finally got everything through from the council — the planning permission, the drainage and everything that’s held the garden up.
“The garden is now, as we speak, going in, so that means in two years it’s going to look opulent.”
Next up for the house is to install a new staircase — as well as getting a second swimming pool, of course.
He says with a laugh: “I’ve already got the swimming pool, but I’m putting another one in — an exercise one that has one of those jets so I can swim against it.
“It’s really great for your body only because when your bones and your joints get older, it’s nice to have the support of the water.”
And when it comes to the furore around Strictly? “I hope it dies down when we find out the truth,” he says. “That’s all I want. I want the investigation to come to an end and just know what is going on.
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“Until that happens, everything is speculation, and I don’t want that to ruin everybody’s enjoyment of what is a fantastic format that has gone to 63 countries worldwide and never failed.””
lNow That’s What I Call A Musical is on tour from September 6 to April 12, 2025 – see thenowmusical.com.