Whitmore: I was gaslit over Strictly concerns
Television presenter Laura Whitmore has said that things she tried to talk about during her time on Strictly Come Dancing eight years ago are “all coming out now”.
In an interview with The Irish Times, the former Love Island host added that she had been “gaslit to make it seem normalised”.
Strictly has been rocked by celebrities making allegations about their time on the show in recent weeks.
A BBC spokesperson declined to comment. The corporation has previously said that when issues are raised, it always takes them “extremely seriously”.
Whitmore was partnered with professional dancer Giovanni Pernice in 2016, and was the seventh celebrity eliminated.
Pernice’s representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Two years after the show, Whitmore gave an interview to the Huffington Post, in which she said the experience left her “broken” and crying every day.
She also said she had been deeply affected by being depicted by some as “blonde bait in a sequinned dress”.
In her new interview, Whitmore was asked whether things have become any easier for women in the public eye.
“I think we’re louder now, and we’re pulling people up on things now,” she said. “I do think it’s changing slightly. I hope.
“And even the stuff I’m not going to talk to you about now, because it’s under review, that’s all coming out now, the stuff I tried to speak about eight years ago.”
She was asked whether she wasn’t listened to at the time.
“Or [I was] gaslit to make it seem normalised,” she responded.
She added: “It’s a shame that it has to come out in such a victim-shaming way, which it always does. And being the first person to speak up about anything is always hard.”
Last week, Whitmore posted an Instagram story in which she spoke about her experiences on Strictly.
The 39-year-old, who had an ankle injury during the show, says she “raised concerns” at the time.
She said she had been asked to speak to the BBC with six other people, whom she did not name, about “inappropriate behaviour they experienced similar to mine with the same individual”.
Whitmore did not name the “individual” in her statement.
The presenter went on to say she had not made an official complaint and was providing evidence of her experience to support the BBC’s investigation.
Previously, a spokesperson for Pernice said: “We are co-operating fully with the BBC’s review process.”
They added: “Giovanni refutes any claim of threatening or abusive behaviour, and, having provided the BBC with his evidence, is confident that the review will prove this.”
Pernice will not be returning for the show’s series this year.
Strictly has been at the centre of controversy as claims have emerged about the treatment of some of the celebrities on the show.
The actress Amanda Abbington, who was also paired with Giovanni Pernice, has said she found his alleged behaviour “unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean”.
TV star Zara McDermott has said she was involved in incidents in the Strictly Come Dancing training room that she now finds “incredibly distressing” to watch back,
A spokesman for her professional dancer, Graziano Di Prima, later admitted to BBC News that he had kicked McDermott once in a rehearsal last year.
Di Prima has also left the show.
The BBC has said it will introduce measures to “strengthen welfare and support” on the show, including a chaperone who will be present “at all times” during training room rehearsals.
A previous statement from the corporation said: “Anyone involved in a complaint has a right to confidentiality and fair process and therefore it would be inappropriate to comment further on individuals.
“However, when issues are raised with us we always take them extremely seriously and have appropriate processes in place to manage this.
“As we have said before, we would urge people not to indulge in speculation.
“More generally, the BBC and BBC Studios takes duty of care extremely seriously.
“Our processes on Strictly Come Dancing are updated every year, they are kept under constant review, and last week we announced additional steps to further strengthen welfare and support on the show.”
