Strictly star slams BBC series for causing ‘horrific’ injury: ‘Nobody was looking out for me’

Will Bayley has criticised Strictly Come Dancing for his treatment while participating in the BBC series.

The Paralympian has alleged he was told that a jump in one routine was ‘rubbish’ in rehearsals by partner, which led to him tearing his knee ligaments trying to improve on it.

The 36-year-old is the latest celebrity to share concerns about how the show operates after Zara McDermott and Amanda Abbington spoke about their negative experiences.

Will fell off a table, heard his leg crack, and suffered ‘horrific pain’ while practising the dance move. He previously expressed concerns about the choreography, alongside his coach, it is claimed.

The incident forced Will, who has arthrogryposis which affects all four of his limbs, to pull out of the series after six weeks and the injury still affects him to this day – he feels pain in the morning, and can’t train for longer than a couple of hours.

Now, the table tennis player is speaking out about how he perceives things were handled wrongfully.

‘I hope what I went through never happens to anyone else,’ he stated to The Sun.

‘I think the show thought they were being inclusive by casting me, but I actually felt pressured.

‘I have got a serious disability and I don’t think anyone was really looking out for me when I injured myself.

‘No one has ever contacted me from the BBC or said sorry,’ he claimed.

Recalling how the accident happened, Will said that he carefully practised a few times, and then Janette encouraged him to smile more while showing passion. ‘I was really determined, so I went for it and smiled at the camera. When I landed I just had the most horrific pain. I still have flashbacks now.’ Will, who was practising with Nancy Xu while Janette watched from the sidelines, remembered how he couldn’t breathe and when he was helped to his feet, he felt his knee come out of the socket.

He claims he was taken to a hotel and given ice, instead of a hospital, and asked to attempt some dance moves the following day. When he was seen by medical professionals at a hospital two days after the accident, he was told to pull out of the competition.

‘I’ll never get over that injury — you have it for life,’ he said.

‘I felt like it was my fault. The bosses made me feel like that.’

He doesn’t blame Janette, instead saying that she was ‘under a lot of pressure by the bosses’ and that it was their pushing that caused the accident.

‘I feel she could have protected me more, but I didn’t have an issue with her. It was mentally hard and I didn’t want to let her down,’ he added.

To aid his recovery, Will had surgery in 2020, which was paid for by the broadcaster. In the following months, he put on three stone, struggled with depression while fearing his sporting career was over, and had to see a therapist through Paralympics GB, after the injury.

‘I was scared about the future, it was awful and I never once heard from anyone at Strictly,’ he said.

Will alleges that his request for loss of earnings compensation was not granted by the BBC. He has now added his complaint to the investigation into the series, claiming a lack of duty of care.

He also claims that he was left out of a show WhatsApp group, and was made to feel lucky to be part of Strictly compared to others involved, such as Jamie Laing.

A BBC spokesperson said: ‘We have longstanding protocols for dealing with injuries if they occur and that includes contestants receiving all necessary treatment and support as required.’

Will, who has one gold medal and three silver medals from previous games, is competing in the fifth Paralympics in Paris next month. Children Bella, six, and Grace, three, will be watching their dad compete.

The ballroom and Latin competition has been scrutinised recently as It was reported that Graziano Di Prima, 30, left the series following , including his 2023 partner, Zara.

 is also under investigation after his most recent partner   in 2023 and claimed to have been . Pernice denies any wrongdoing.

Reports have since emerged that a third pro dancer who used to be on the show has been named as a ‘person of interest’.

The BBC has also announced that they are taking measures in order to introduce ‘practical steps’ to support welfare. Dance rehearsals will now be monitored, and a production team member present during training room rehearsals at all times.

Metro.co.uk has contacted Janette Manrara’s representatives for comment.