Strictly's Craig Revel Horwood "Gobsmacked" by Pro Dancer Complaints

Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood has expressed his shock and surprise at the recent allegations made against professional dancers Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima, who have been removed from the show's line-up.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, the 59-year-old judge admitted he was "completely gobsmacked by the whole thing". He revealed that he, like the other judges, was kept entirely separate from the contestants and professionals, only encountering them briefly at the studio. "You never get the opportunity to find out what happens in the rehearsal room and that's not part of our job," he explained.

The news of the allegations came as a "shock" to Craig, who was unaware of the issues until they were reported in the press. He welcomed the BBC's decision to introduce chaperones for all future training sessions, believing it to be a "good thing" to have a third eye on the situation, especially given the similar practice already in place at the theatre, particularly when working with children and young people.

Craig also spoke about his own experience as a young dancer, highlighting the "tough" regime he endured under his Russian ballet teacher. "I had a Russian ballet teacher who had a cane, and she would wack us with it," he revealed, describing how this method of discipline ensured dancers engaged their hamstrings correctly during exercises like "développé". He acknowledged that this type of teaching would be considered unacceptable today, adding that "things have changed, we've come a long way since the 40 years since I trained."

Craig concluded by saying that everyone has their own methods of training and that "what they learn they carry on in the training room".

This comes after reports that Giovanni has received the results of the BBC's internal investigation into his conduct on Strictly. The findings of the investigation are yet to be made public.