Laura Whitmore Alleges Gaslighting by BBC on Strictly Come Dancing

The controversy surrounding the UK’s Strictly Come Dancing continues, with former contestant Laura Whitmore revealing she had raised concerns during her time on the show but felt she was “gaslit to make it seem normalised.”

Laura Whitmore, who is a TV presenter, participated in the show in 2016 and was paired with Italian professional Giovanni Pernice. In an interview with The Irish Times this weekend, she mentioned that it is “all coming out now, stuff I tried to speak about eight years ago.”

While Whitmore didn’t disclose the specific content of her complaints due to an ongoing review, she emphasized that she had voiced her concerns at the time. She recounted to The Irish Times that her attempts to complain were either ignored or met with gaslighting to make the situation appear normal.

“It’s a shame that it has to come out in such a victim-shaming way, which it always does. And being the first person to speak up about anything is always hard,” she added.

The BBC reported that representatives for Giovanni Pernice did not respond to requests for comments regarding Whitmore’s remarks. Pernice has previously denied all allegations of cruel behavior made by another former partner, Amanda Abbington. Abbington’s complaints from last year contributed to a series of negative PR stories about Strictly Come Dancing, overshadowing what was meant to be its celebratory 20^th year.

The investigation by the BBC into the complaints against Pernice is expected to conclude in the coming days. Meanwhile, the show is preparing for a new season launch in a few weeks, with Olympic swimmer Tom Dean already confirmed to participate.

Source: The Irish Times, BBC