Strictly professional Katya Jones has broken her silence on the recent BBC scandal as the crisis continues to deepen. 

The dancer, who has appeared on the show since 2016, explained that during the competition she puts her partner first and her priority isn’t to win the show. 

Speaking on an upcoming episode of Spooning With Mark Wogan, The Mirror have revealed that Katya tells the host: ‘It’s not about me. I’m (not) there to win and they’re not my tool to win the show, my celebrity.’ 

As Mark suggests that Katya has a more ‘simpatico approach’ compared to other Strictly professionals, she quickly jumps in as she made it clear she cannot talk on behalf of the other dancers. 

She insists: ‘I absolutely cannot talk on others behalf. I only know my rehearsal room’. 

During her time on the show Katya has been paired with a range of levels of ability, from winning the show with Joe McFadden in 2017 to her more comedic performances with Ed Balls a year prior. 

Katya explains that when celebrities go wrong in rehearsals they often want to stop, however her job is to make them want to come back the next day. 

She continues: ‘My job is to want them to come back to the rehearsal, want them to do it again, [and say] “Oh, can’t wait for tomorrow”. That’s my job and the only way of doing it is by finding what works for them.’

Katya comments come after Judge Rob Rinder suggested winning has become ‘more important’ for the show’s professionals than the ‘journey’.

The barrister and TV star, 46, said the competitive nature of ballroom dancers may ‘interfere’ with the ’emotional complexion of the space’.

Speaking on the Off Air podcast, Rob, who appeared on the show in 2016, said at the ‘beginning of the show’, it was about the ‘spirit and the heart’.

He continued: ‘[It was] about journey, about taking somebody from being an amateur who’s a bit rubbish and seeing how they got better.

‘And you know, I do wonder as the spotlight has got brighter and especially with the presence and prevalence of social media, whether, you know, the challenges and stresses about winning have become slightly more important.’

Meanwhile fellow professionals Ian Waite and Vincent Simone revealed there is a fourth celebrity who has clashed with their partner during their appearance on Good Morning Britain on Friday. 

The pair admitted that chaperoning in the rehearsal room is nothing new as Vincent explained that there was one couple who had a member of production in the room during training as they weren’t getting on.

Vincent explained: ‘I had the pleasure of choreographing, and there has been some couples, which I am not going to mention their names. 

‘But when I was in the room with them and teaching them the choreography for the week, there was this man in the corner with a laptop for the first two days and I thought ‘Who is that man?’. 

‘So this was already in place for this specific couple because they didn’t get on’.

While so far reports have only focused on allegations among the male members of the cast, Ian admitted that the female professionals were just as harsh, if not more so, than the men. 

He said: ‘From my own experience the dance world is a hard world to be in. You have a lot of pressure, especially on strictly at the end of the week.

‘I think in the past some of the lady professionals have been very harsh on their male celebs such that the men pros wouldn’t get away with.’

Elsewhere on GMB, LBC presenter Iain Dale also claimed that he knows the identity of another contestant who felt ‘intimidated’ by their professional partner.

He said: ‘I do know somebody that was very intimidated by her dance partner.’

Iain confirmed that the celebrity in question was not his former GMB co-star Jacqui Smith, or Ann Widdicombe.

‘There have been allegations in the past,’ he added.

Graziano Di Prima, 30, was axed from the show last week over reports he verbally and physically abused his celebrity partner Zara McDermott, 27, during last year’s series.  

Strictly was thrown into more crisis on Thursday evening after one of its most loved female professional dancers Nadiya Bychkova met with BBC bosses to complain about the show.

The Mail revealed that the Ukrainian beauty made contact with chiefs at the Corporation and was then swiftly invited in for a face-to-face meeting to discuss her concerns.

She is said to be ‘upset’ about certain matters relating to the Saturday night dance show and was keen to raise them with the BBC as they continue to carry out their investigation into Amanda Abbington’s claims that Giovanni Pernice bullied her during rehearsals – claims which Pernice strenuously denies.

Show sources now say that the crisis is ‘worsening by the day’ as they are being more claims and accusations about Strictly – which has been the jewel in the BBC’s crown for 20 years.

It was also revealed on Wednesday that Nadiya, 33, has split from fellow Strictly dancer Kai Widdrington after 18 months together.

The pair, who began dating in 2022 after she danced with former BBC Breakfast host Dan Walker, are understood to have gone their separate ways in June, at the end of their lucrative tour Behind the Magic.

Despite reports that their split is amicable, friends of the former couple say that they are ‘no longer on friendly terms’ which they fear will make for a frosty atmosphere when the new series begins in September.

The latest developments come just weeks after Giovanni Pernice, 33, was suspended while a BBC probe is conducted over claims of off-camera misconduct made by Amanda Abbington, 50, and two other former celeb partners.

The scandal deepened after unearthed footage revealed former professional dancer James Jordan telling his partner he would ‘drag her across the floor and scream at her’ if she forgot her moves.

The clip, which was filmed during the fourth series back in 2006, shows him rehearsing with actress Georgina Bouzova.

He also says to her ‘kill you’ as he demands she stands on one leg and insists that unless she has physically broken a rib he doesn’t care what pain she is in. He is also seen throwing a chair across the training studio.

James, who left Strictly in 2012 after appearing on eight series, also banned Georgina, who formerly starred on BBC medical drama Casualty, from eating sweets and chocolate and would only allow her to buy pineapple and ham when they visited a supermarket together.

However James has furiously hit back after the clip from Strictly’s spin-off show It Takes Two resurfaced.

The ballroom dancer and choreographer, 46, has slammed the BBC saying most of the footage ‘was not related to Georgina at all’.

Sharing a raging statement on Instagram he said that the footage was ‘edited for entertainment’ and was ‘highly produced and exaggerated’.

He said there ‘is no comparison to be drawn between those awful allegations and the VT’ – while insisting none of his celebrity partners ever complained about him during his eight years on the show.

On Tuesday night it was revealed that a third professional dancer on the show has been named as a ‘person of interest’ in the wake of the abuse and bullying allegations.

BBC executives sacked Graziano after members of production presented bosses with video of the pro dancer ‘hitting and kicking’ Love Island star Zara during training last Autumn.

But there have been accusations of a massive cover-up by the BBC over claims crew members complained about Graziano’s behaviour during the series but no action was taken.

When a group of Strictly production staff witnessed the way Graziano treated Zara in last year’s series, they reported their concerns to their superiors. But, instead of sacking him, senior execs ignored their worries and have Graziano ‘quiet warnings’.

It was only when staff backed up their allegations with video evidence last week – including a clip of Graziano hitting Zara – that bosses were galvanised into action and sacked him. But this was nine months after they had first raised the alarm.

One BBC insider told the Mail’s Katie Hind: ‘There is absolutely no doubt that those very high up on Strictly, and wider at the BBC, knew about Graziano’s behaviour – but they allowed him still to appear on screen.’

The BBC’s official response was: ‘While we would never comment on individual cases, it is well known that the BBC has established robust duty of care procedures and if issues are raised we will always take them seriously and act swiftly as appropriate.’

But Strictly sources told the Mail they believe there was a ‘cover-up’ of Graziano’s behaviour, which ‘bosses hoped would save fan-favourite Di Prima from being ousted’.

Zara herself admitted in her statement shared on Tuesday that she was too worried about coming forward to complain about Graziano’s behaviour, in a sign that she too didn’t want to tarnish the show’s wholesome reputation as well as her own career prospects.

‘I have wrested with the fear of opening up – I was scared about public backlash, I was scared about my future, I was scared of victim shaming,’ Zara wrote on Instagram.

With news this week that a third professional dancer – who is no longer on the show – is also part of the probe into the BBC series, insiders have told The Sun that it is ‘becoming clear is that there appears to be a more widespread issue over the conduct of some of the professionals in training.’

‘The more people who come forward, the clearer the picture is becoming.’

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Source: CNN