Star of Strictly Janette Manrara has revealed the message she sent to former celeb dance partner Will Bayley after he spoke out about his time on the show.
Janette was paired with table tennis player Will in 2019 for the 17th series. However, during week seven, he withdrew from the competition after suffering from a serious life-long knee injury.
The injury occurred after he attempted to perform a jump he was encouraged to do. Reportedly, Janette dismissed his jump as “rubbish” during rehearsals.
Will was born with a congenital limb condition, a rare disorder that affects all four of his limbs. The Paralympian has expressed that Janette could have “protected him more”.
Will Bayley apologises to Strictly partner Janette Manrara
During an interview with The Sun, Janette admitted she reached out to Will through text message due to their “really good” friendship.
Janette said he immediately responded with: “I’m so sorry, it’s not meant to look like that. I don’t want you to feel like it’s you.”
In response, she replied: “It’s okay.”
Talking about her Strictly experience with Will, Janette insisted she “enjoyed dancing with him so much”.
She added: “It’s the only time I’ve actually ever cried on Strictly, when we did our Couple’s Choice. It was a dedication to Great Ormond Street Hospital.”
Janette was ‘shocked’ over recent allegations
Strictly has remained in the headlines over the past few months after various allegations. Italian dancer Giovanni Pernice will not be returning to the show after Amanda Abbington and two other contestants filed a complaint about his “abusive” behaviour.
An investigation is ongoing with the BBC.
Graziano Di Prima will also not be returning after rehearsal footage saw him kick his celeb partner Zara McDermott.
When asked whether she was surprised by the recent accusations, Janette said: “Yes and no. I was shocked, because you just never want to hear that. But it is a dance show, it gets physical and it is a competition. There is intensity that sometimes happens in the rehearsal rooms. Everybody wants to do their best. Every professional pushes themselves, but it should always be in a positive way.”
Read more: Peter Andre hits out over Strictly partner Janette Manrara getting ‘dragged into’ scandal
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