Former Strictly Come Dancing star AJ Pritchard admitted to “accidentally” slapping Saffron Barker during training for the BBC show.
AJ, 29, and YouTuber Saffron, 23, were partnered together in 2019 and footage of their rehearsals has now resurfaced following the scandal involving Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima.
In the video, a poll appeared on screen that read: “Did Saffron Barker get whacked around the face? True or false”. Standing next to each other, AJ asks Saffron if the accusation is true or not.
The influencer responds: “Unfortunately it was true. AJ was trying to get the angrier side of me to come out, so he demonstrates, but actually whacks me round the face. I mean, both hands, slap. Like, it hurt.”
One year prior, AJ accused partner Lauren Steadman, 31, of deliberately messing up her steps. In a clip shared on his YouTube channel, Paralympian Lauren claimed he “needs anger management”, to which AJ replied: “No, it’s passion management.”
Earlier this week, James Jordan furiously defended himself as footage came to light of his training sessions with celebrity partner Georgina Bouzova.
A compilation of their intense training sessions was aired on It Takes Two, where James said he would “drag her across the floor and scream at her” if she forgot her moves.
He also says: “I’ll kill you. Stand on your left leg.” Speaking directly to the camera, the now 46-year-old can be heard saying: “I will push her to her limit. She will go through that pain, and as far as I’m concerned, tough luck.
“Unless she’s physically broken a rib, I don’t care. Unless her feet are bleeding I don’t care, if they are sore, dance through it.
The ballroom dancer slammed the footage, claiming it “was not related to Georgina at all”. In a lengthy statement posted on Instagram, James insisted the old clips were “edited for entertainment” and “highly produced and exaggerated”.
The resurfaced footage comes after Graziano’s departure from the series following reports he “kicked and hit” Zara McDermott during training in 2023. The Italian dancer, 30, reportedly apologised to the former Love Island star at the time, admitting he “crossed the line”.
Giovanni, 33, was the first pro investigated by the BBC after Amanda Abbington accused him of “bullying” her. The actress, 50, abruptly quit the series midway through and was later diagnosed with mild PTSD.
Addressing Giovanni’s behaviour during training, Amanda said: “I found Giovanni’s behaviour unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean. I couldn’t sit back and let him do that to other people.” Giovanni denies any wrongdoing.