Strictly’s Craig Revel Horwood says ‘I’ve watched the Amanda tape’ as he addresses scandal

The much-loved BBC series Strictly Come Dancing has found itself center-stage in a whirlwind of headlines, following the emergence of Amanda Abbington’s claims against Giovanni Pernice.

His return to the series remains unconfirmed while Graziano Di Prima was axed due to his treatment of celebrity partner Zara McDermott.

Craig Revel Horwood, one of the show’s veteran judges, was prompted to give his take on the unfolding drama during an appearance on This Morning. Host Craig Doyle probed him on the scale of his awareness regarding these internal issues.

He expressed his total astonishment upon discovering the news. “I knew nothing,” Craig admitted. “The judges are very separate, when the story erupted and came out in the press, I was shocked, as were all the other judges.

“We have nothing to do whatsoever with their training or how they get there to that point on Saturday night. We don’t even see the camera rehearsals on the Friday so literally come in on the Saturday and judge what we see and it’s done. “

He added: “I just want the investigation to be over so I can find out myself the truth because I have nothing really to say. You know it’s really hard to pass judgment on ‘he said this and she said that’.

“It’s really difficult and it has erupted and of course I’ve watched the Amanda tape and all that sort of stuff and I’m just blown away by the whole situation.”

Craig’s comments on This Morning come just a day after he addressed the scandal on BBC Breakfast where he told hosts Charlie Stayt and Naga Munchetty, reports the Express.

He said then: “I was completely gobsmacked by the whole thing. And of course, I found out with the press, because the judges are all kept very separate from all the participants and all the pros, and the only time we ever see each other is when we’re impulsively going to the studio.

“You don’t really get an opportunity to know what happens in the rehearsal room, and that’s not part of our job.”

The Strictly Come Dancing celebrity line-up is yet to be confirmed for the 2024 series but is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

Fans are still anxiously waiting to hear if Giovanni will return along with the professional dancers already confirmed.