The Rev Richard Coles, a former Strictly Come Dancing contestant, has described the hit BBC programme as “a wonderful show with a dark heart” after another anonymous celebrity claimed it had a “culture of exploitation”.
The unnamed contestant told Times Radio that they felt extremely strongly about coming forward to share their experience of the poor treatment they suffered on the Saturday night show but were afraid to speak out for fear of the consequences for their career.
“Strictly is completely different to what comes across on TV. There’s a culture of exploitation and embarrassment,” they claimed. “Rather than a case of a few bad apples, it’s a systemic problem.”
They claimed that both celebrities and professional dancers had been affected by the toxic