Craig Revel Horwood Fears ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ Will Become “Watered Down”

Strictly Come Dancing’s longest-standing judge has urged that, despite the controversy surrounding the BBC show, dancers should remain strict with their celebrity partners to ensure the series doesn’t become “watered down and vanilla.”

Dancer and choreographer Craig Revel Horwood, who has been with the show since its inception in 2004, has spoken amidst ongoing controversy regarding allegations of bad behavior by professional dancers behind the scenes and in rehearsal studios.

In an interview with The Sun newspaper, Revel Horwood commented on the celebrities participating in this year’s series:

“You just have to be able to take some criticism. Otherwise, we’re living in a world where no one is criticized, and it will become watered down and vanilla, where no one’s trying.”

“I hope the standards don’t drop this year.

“When I’m teaching casts for shows in rehearsals, I still have to be quite strict. I think you have to be.

“Can you imagine an Olympian getting gold without their trainer being strict?

“As far as saying, ‘Oh, that was really bad, you need to try it again’, I’m not gonna cry over that.”

His words follow the departure of two high-profile dancers amidst allegations of bad behavior. Graziano di Prima was accused of kicking his partner Zara McDermott, something he denies, but he has left the show and apologized for his “competitive training regime.” The other, Giovanni Pernice, denies all claims made against him by his partner last year, actress Amanda Abbington, and the BBC has yet to release its findings from an internal investigation into the matter.

The BBC recently announced new protocols for the series, including chaperones in all rehearsal rooms, something welcomed by Revel Horwood. He said:

“I think that’s where the chaperone idea is really good, because some behavior may get misconstrued.

“It’s a similar thing in dance. We speak in French a lot, so it’s jargon.

“It’s about learning a whole different language.”

He added: “However, I totally and absolutely would not put up with any abuse in a rehearsal room.

The 20th anniversary of Strictly Come Dancing will launch in the next couple of weeks, with this year’s lineup already announced.