July 19th 2024.
Rachel Riley, a former contestant on Strictly Come Dancing, recently spoke out about her experience on the show and compared it to a "hostage situation." She faced intense scrutiny over the show's conduct, which resulted in her experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Despite falling in love with her dance partner, Pasha Kovalev, the experience was extremely challenging for Rachel due to her stage fright.
The turmoil surrounding the show has only worsened as a third dancer was named in the ongoing internal investigation. It all began when Amanda Abbington made allegations against Giovanni Pernice, which he has denied. Months later, Graziano Di Prima was dropped from the show and later released a statement expressing regret for his actions, which included allegedly kicking and hitting his partner Zara McDermott.
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Rachel first appeared on Strictly in 2013 and on a podcast earlier this year, she called for therapy to be provided for those involved in the long-running show. She clarified that the problem was not with her partner Pasha Kovalev, but with the show itself. Despite falling in love with Pasha and now sharing children together, Rachel admitted that her experience was terrifying as she had never danced before. She explained that the contestants have to learn a new dance every Sunday and then perform it in front of 10 million people on Saturday. The judges' comments can feel like the end of the world, and she even had to participate in a "dance-off" to stay on the show.
Rachel also revealed that she struggled to re-watch her season or even new episodes because of the emotions it brings up. She even developed post-traumatic stress disorder from her time on the show, which she believes is a common experience for many who have participated. Despite the challenges, she loved the feeling of achieving something and getting all the endorphins from training and being in the moment.
The recent allegations and investigation into the conduct of Strictly stars have only made Rachel's experience more difficult to relive. She described it as a "trauma bonding" experience, where they were all in it together, but not with their partners. Each year, as Pasha returned to the show, Rachel would remember her own experience, making it difficult for her to enjoy the show. She believes that the dancing itself can be scary and brings up a lot of emotions, and each year, she would over-empathize with the contestants.
Since the news broke about the investigation, it is believed that more celebrities have come forward to share their experiences. On top of this, a former couple who met on the show, Kai Widdrington and Nadiya Bychkova, have recently split. Rumors swirled that Nadiya had made a complaint to the BBC, but she clarified that this was not the case. The BBC has since announced that they are taking drastic action to make changes to the show.
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