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Former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Laila Rouass has defended her former dance partner, Anton Du Beke, after reports she has complained to the BBC about him amid the ongoing scandal plaguing the show.
The Holby City actor appeared on the dancing competition in 2009, finishing in fourth place. At the time, the BBC was embroiled in a race row after reports emerged that Du Beke had said Rouass “looked like a p***” after having a spray tan.
At the time, he apologised for the use of the word, which is considered an offensive term and racial slur. However, Du Beke said that the term had been used as “banter” between the two.
Rouass addressed reports that she had filed a complaint about the experience to the BBC, denying them entirely.
“There has been much speculation over the last couple of weeks about alleged complaints I have made to the BBC regarding my time at Strictly,” she began in a post on Instagram.
She explained she had no intention of addressing the claims publicly, but had been subject to abuse and harassment against her and her family, saying it would be “morally reprehensible” if she allowed speculation to continue.
Rouass explained that the show “demands much of your time and energy” and that she had asked to rehearse up to seven hours a day, seven days a week.
She went on to address the comments saying, “Unfortunately, my time on the show was scarred by a handful of incidents, some of which were discussed in the press at the time.
“I would like to address those incidents; Yes, Anton used derogatory words and it was unacceptable. Yes, Anton publicly apologised to me. Above all this, and most importantly, I do not believe Anton is racist or Islamophobic. If I believed he was, I would have refused to dance with him.”
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After claims of mistreatment against Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima, in which Pernice was accused of behaving in a “cruel, mean, and abusive” manner towards Amanda Abbington and Di Prima was accused of physically and verbally assaulting Zara McDermott, Rouass was insistent that she had not had the same experience and did not wish to detract from the focus on others.
“I wish to make clear, apart from the situation mentioned above, which was dealt with, at absolutely no point was I physically, emotionally, sexually or verbally abused by Anton. At no point did Anton use manipulation or cruelty towards me during rehearsals. At no point did I feel vulnerable in Anton’s presence,” she continued.
“I am making this statement because I do not want to take the focus away from those who have bravely spoken about the alleged abuse they experienced on the show. I do not want my experience to be merged in with extremely serious and disturbing allegations from other contestants.
“The focus should remain with them and their stories, because their stories matter. Their stories must be addressed and investigated.”
She likened the criticism of Du Beke to “witch-hunts” warning that they “have consequences that are far reaching and long lasting”.
“I believe those willing to accept their misjudgment and change their behaviour mustn’t be condemned forever for their past mistakes,” she continued.
She added, “It would be unfair for Anton to lose his livelihood, his reputation and his credibility because of an incident that happened 15 years ago.”
She called the experiences of other contestants “incredibly concerning” saying they “far eclipse my own”.
Rouass clarified, “Needless to say, I have not made an official complaint to the BBC regarding Anton and I do not intend to. I do however welcome conversations with the BBC about their duty of care.”
