Janette Manrara issues emotional response as Peter Andre defends star amid BBC Strictly saga
Peter Andre and Janette Manrara danced together on the show back in 2015
BBC/INSTAGRAM
Strictly Come Dancing professional Janette Manrara's name was roped into the ongoing "bullying" and "abuse" scandal by former partner Will Bayley recently - with Peter Andre expressing his support for the dancing star today.
Over the last couple of weeks, Giovanni Pernice, Graziano Di Prima, Anton Du Beke, Ola Jordan, one unnamed female professional and Manrara have been named by their former partners as subjects of complaints about the way they were treated whilst taking part in the show.
Bayley claimed that the It Takes Two host criticised his performance and "forced" him to continuously redo a stunt during their rehearsals, ending up sustaining a serious and life-altering injury.
Manrara has since denied the claims, and through her representative, told MailOnline: "Janette had a great time dancing with Will and one of her favourite moments on the show was doing their contemporary couples' choice.
"Her celebrity partner's safety and enjoyment was always the priority throughout her time on Strictly. Janette has never received any complaints and has maintained friendships with all her partners, including Will."
Andre, 51, today stood up for his friends on the show and took to his social media to share his positive experiences, noting that he felt he should "just stick up for some of these people because I was there" for one of the series.
He described Manrara and Pernice as "the nicest, most beautiful people," adding: "They're getting dragged into things like this. Of course if someone did something bad and someone hurt somebody, I can understand that - of course, that's not acceptable.
"But because I was there and people like Giovanni and Anton, they were always gentlemen to me. I think when Janette's name got dragged in too, I'm like, 'Come on, guys!' She's beautiful."
He directly tagged the BBC Strictly account, Manrara, Aljaz Skorjanec, Pernice, and Du Beke and penned: "Although I don’t know what happens in everybody’s training room I can only speak about what I saw and experienced.
"It is however important that people speak up if they feel that something is wrong and important that they are heard. When Janette and others got dragged into it too, I couldn’t help but wonder if this is going too far before any investigation."
Peter Andre publicly showed his support for Janette Manrara
BBC
Manrara was quick to appreciate the support she had received from her partner and friend, and penned the four-word response: "Love you so much."
Andre reciprocated his former Strictly partner's sentiment as he replied: "Love you too."
Making his complaint against the BBC's duty of care, Bayley said: "I think the show thought they were being inclusive by casting me, but I actually felt pressured.
"I have got a serious disability and I don’t think anyone was really looking out for me when I injured myself, leaving me with injuries that still affect me to this day.
"No one has ever contacted me from the BBC or said sorry.
"There was no duty of care — I should have been taken to the hospital as soon as I had the accident, but all they cared about was trying to get me to dance."
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Will Bayley complained that Janette Manrara's training added to his injury
BBC
As the 20th-anniversary season is soon set to commence, the BBC has implemented new rules which include a chaperone being present for every couple during rehearsals.
Whilst some claim that the integrity of the show has been "tarnished", BBC director-general Tim Davie yesterday issued an apology to the press and said: "I'm very sorry that anyone has had an experience on Strictly that hasn't been wholly positive.
"But the key here is you address the situation. And as I say, I won't go into repetition. But the measures we've taken, I believe, are an appropriate and fair response to what we know now in terms of making sure that (in) the training rooms, we have the right oversight, and that people have a positive experience coming through the show.
"I do believe overall, the hundreds of people have come through this show and had a positive experience."
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