A former Strictly Come Dancing star has compared his time on the series to being in a ‘pressure cooker’.
Olympic boxer turned wrestler Anthony Ogogo appeared on the long-running series in 2015, where he was paired with professional dancer Oti Mabuse, however they were the second couple to be eliminated.
But now, nearly a decade on, the 35-year-old said he was ‘frustrated’ by his brief stint on the show and said even ‘strong-willed’ people like himself could buckle ‘under that pressure’.
The athlete, who won a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, said that although he was initially encouraged to take part despite a shoulder injury, production staff later suggested he quit when the injury became ‘bad’.
‘It’s a funny one the Strictly experience,’ he said.
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‘They got me on the show when I was injured. I’d just had shoulder surgery.
‘It was weird, they really encouraged me to do it, said the shoulder wouldn’t be an issue, and then when I got on the show, the shoulder was the reason I left the show,’ he added while speaking to Sky News.
He continued: ‘When I did it, they were like “oh your shoulder’s bad, maybe it’s time to go home”, that’s the impression I got. It was frustrating. It could’ve been amazing.’
Anthony said he was also at odds with those working behind the scenes over scars left on his shoulder following an infection caught after he had surgery not long before.
‘I wanted the scar to show how much pain I was going through, but they covered it up and they made a point one day saying ‘we don’t want it on TV,’ he said.
Although Anthony said he wanted to ‘show the public how much pain’ he was going through, he was simply told to ‘cover the scars’.
He also described Strictly as a ‘pressure cooker’ and an ‘intense fishbowl of pressure and emotion’.
Despite this all, he did praise dance partner Oti, who he called ‘brilliant’ and said that despite the scandal currently facing the show, he would sign up again.
The beloved show has been rocked in recent weeks following allegations levelled against several professional dancers, and concerns raised about the treatment of contestants including Amanda Abbington and Zara McDermott.
Sherlock actress Amanda, who quit Strictly last year after five weeks, has described her former dance partner Giovanni Pernice’s behaviour as ‘unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean’, however he has denied the claims and said he ‘looks forward’ to clearing his name.
Meanwhile Graziano Di Prima shockingly quit the programme earlier this month over allegations he ‘kicked and hit’ Love Island star Zara.
Since then, the national broadcaster has introduced new measures to support celebrities’ welfare on the show, including chaperones.
Then, on Tuesday, BBC’s director general Tim Davie apologised to Strictly contestants who have had an experience that ‘hasn’t been wholly positive’.
He added: ‘We will never tolerate unacceptable behaviour of any kind.’
Metro.co.uk has contacted BBC for comment.
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