Female Strictly star faces ‘bullying’ claims after being accused of ‘screaming in partner’s face’

Strictly Come Dancing is facing more bullying claims after a professional dancer was accused of ‘screaming in their partner’s face’.

The long-running BBC dancing series is due to celebrate its 20^th anniversary later this year but has come under fire following the exits of two of its dancers in recent weeks.

Earlier this month Graziano Di Prima, 30, left the show after he was accused of ‘kicking and hitting’ his 2023 partner, Zara McDermott, claims which were later confirmed by his representative.

This came after fellow Italian dancer Giovanni Pernice, 33, was called ‘nasty’ and ‘awful’ by former dance partner Amanda Abbington, however he has denied any wrongdoing but has since left the show too.

Now the embattled show is in the firing line again after a male celebrity is reported to be filing a formal complaint today.

The female professional dancer is facing allegations of ‘bullying’ after she allegedly screamed in her former partner’s face in a rage.

It is understood the contestant, a household name, will say they rowed every day and she saw red, off camera, if he failed to grasp steps.

His complaint, which The Mirror reported will be emailed to legal firm Carter Ruck by today, is not believed to include any allegations of physical abuse.

However, it is said to criticise senior BBC staff for failing to support him on or after he left the show.

‘The man in question felt very much victimised by the behaviour of his Strictly partner,’ a source told the publication.

‘He alleges that on several occasions she flew into a real fury when he couldn’t get the steps right, and on one occasion screamed full in his face. They rowed every single day.’

They added: ‘He was left upset, struggling to sleep, and feeling isolated in the process. But even worse, he felt totally unsupported by Strictly. When he suffered the setback, it was clear he was struggling, but he felt there was no duty of care. After leaving the show, he was not contacted again, even by phone.’

The source said appearing on Strictly ‘had a serious impact’ on the celebrity’s life and ‘affected his ability to work long after he left the dance floor’.

They went on to share that he and the dancer ‘did get on some of the time though’, but faced ‘difficult moments’.

Carter Ruck is handling allegations of misconduct from at least three ex-contestants, including Amanda, who claimed she suffered from PTSD after being paired with Giovanni, who has also instructed lawyers.

Last week the national broadcaster announced it was making major changes to support celebrity welfare, with chaperones to now attend rehearsals and new welfare roles introduced.

In a statement, the BBC said: ‘Concerns that have arisen in recent months have been fundamentally about training and rehearsals. The actions we announce today are designed to address that.’

Metro.co.uk has contacted the BBC for comment.