Strictly Come Dancing contestant Toyah Willcox has suggested that bullying claims made by former contestants made her question whether she had what it takes to appear on the show.
The singer-songwriter is one of 15 celebrity contestants set to compete for the glitterball prize in the flagship show’s 22nd series, which is due to launch on Saturday.
However, this year’s season comes in the wake of a bullying row that is continuing to dog Strictly.
Speaking soon after rehearsals for the first show, Willcox, 66, said: “It made me take what’s coming very seriously, because what’s happened in the last year is because this show is 100 per cent committed to dance and you’ve got to go beyond your own personal comfort zone. That’s always been very, very obvious.”
The singer, whose hits include the 1981 single ‘Thunder in the Mountains’, added: “And I know, for me, with what’s been going on this year, I’ve been thinking: ‘Well, can I push myself beyond my own limitations?’
“And for me, it’s now or never, simply as that, now or never, that’s made me commit to the show.”
The BBC is preparing to release the findings of a review into allegations made by Amanda Abbington about her partner last year, Giovanni Pernice. He denies the claims, but has left the show.