Janette Manara has broken her silence after Paralympian Will Bayley claimed she made him redo a jump that caused a lifelong injury – amid the latest drama for the ‘fatally tarnished’ show
A BBC spokesperson for the It Takes Two host said the professional dancer has never received any complaints” regarding her training methods.
Table tennis player Will, 36, claimed he sustained a lifelong injury while jumping during a performance on the show and blamed his then-partner Janette.
A representative for Janette told the BBC: ‘Janette had a great time dancing with Will and one of her favourite moments on the show was doing their contemporary couples choice.
‘Her celebrity partner’s safety and enjoyment was always the priority throughout her time on Strictly.
Strictly pro Janette Manrara broke her silence on Monday after Paralympian Will Bayley claimed she made him redo a jump that caused a lifelong injury – amid the latest drama for ‘fatally tarnished’ show (stock image)
A BBC spokesperson for the It Takes Two host said the professional dancer has never received any complaints” regarding her training methods
Will was born with arthrogryposis which limits the range of motion in the joints of his limbs and completed the move with straight knees
‘Janette has never received any complaints and has maintained friendships with all her partners, including Will.’
Will was born with arthrogryposis which limits the range of motion in the joints of his limbs and completed the move with straight knees. He opened up about the daily pain he suffers from over the weekend.
A resurfaced clip aired during that year’s live shows has shown the devastating moment Will was curled up on the floor in pain after the jump.
The video heard Tess explaining that Will had been injured and would not be dancing that week, as it cut to the sportsman lying on the floor in agony with a medic crouched down helping with first aid.
Janette was also seen visibly distressed as she sat comforting her celebrity partner. In a later part of the video, Janette was herself consoled by fellow professional dancer Nancy Xu.
‘I jumped off the table and as I landed, I landed with straight legs,’ Will said in the VT at the time.
‘I thought I’d broke my leg because I’d never felt anything like it before but luckily it’s not as severe as what I thought when I first did it.
‘To hear the words I “absolutely can’t dance” is just really gutting for me but I need to recover now and come back even stronger next week.’
Will was given a week’s pass before he had to withdraw from the competition completely when his injury meant he would have to miss another live show.
Recalling the ‘horrific pain’ he experienced as he crashed to the ground, the gold medallist, admitted he thought ‘his whole career was over.’
Earlier on Monday, the BBC broke their silence after Paralympian Will’s claims over the weekend.
Will was left with excruciating knee pain after competing on the series.
The BBC said: ‘We have longstanding protocols for dealing with injuries if they occur and that includes contestants receiving all necessary treatment and support as required.’
Will was forced to bow out early when he heard his leg ‘crack’ on his second attempt at jumping from a table in studio rehearsals – after Janette (pictured in June) said his first was ‘rubbish’
A resurfaced clip aired during that year’s live shows has shown the devastating moment Will was curled up on the floor in pain after the jump
The BBC said: ‘We have longstanding protocols for dealing with injuries if they occur and that includes contestants receiving all necessary treatment and support as required’
Speaking to The Sun, Will said: ‘We practiced a few times and I was really careful. But then Janette said my jump was ‘rubbish’ and I needed to smile more and go for it and show a bit of passion.’
Determined to improve, the sportsman ‘went for it’ but experienced ‘the most horrific pain.’
‘I was lying on the floor thinking my whole career was over. I heard my leg crack, I couldn’t breathe,’ he recounted.
‘I’ll never get over that injury — you have it for life. I’ve already got a limiting disability but this on top of it. I wake up in the morning and it hurts. I can now only train for a couple hours before it’s sore.’
Will explained that he ‘didn’t have an issue with Janette’ but felt that she was under pressure from the show’s bosses. They have remained friends since their time on the series.
A BBC spokesperson said: ‘We will not be commenting on individuals or engaging with speculation. However, as we have said previously we will always listen if people want to make us aware of something or raise it with us directly and we have appropriate procedures and processes in place to manage this.’
Recalling the ‘horrific pain’ he experienced as he crashed to the ground, the gold medallist, admitted he thought ‘his whole career was over’
‘I’ll never get over that injury — you have it for life. I’ve already got a limiting disability but this on top of it. I wake up in the morning and it hurts,’ he said
At the time of his injury, Will praised his dancing partner Janette for being ‘like a rock’ after his ‘incredible experience’ came to an end, leaving her in tears.
He described hearing his knee ‘pop’ and thought he had broken his leg before a doctor told him he had torn his anterior cruciate ligament.
Appearing on the show as part of the audience, Will said : ‘I am so gutted but it’s so good to be here to support everyone, they’re all smashing it tonight.
‘I feel like I’ve had the most support throughout this whole process, the least I can do is come back and I’m proud to watch you guys.’
He added: ‘It’s getting there I want to see what it’s like in a couple of weeks but I’ll be there in Tokyo I want to try and win that gold medal again.’
‘My highlight has having my partner Janette, she’s been like my rock to me I can’t speak highly of her enough.’
After recovering from his injury Will won both individual and team silver at the rearranged 2020 Tokyo Games in 2021.
After recovering from his injury Will won both individual and team silver at the rearranged 2020 Tokyo Games in 2021 (pictured this month)