Les Dennis described his time on Strictly Come Dancing as "the hardest thing ever" on Wednesday's Good Morning Britain as he weighed in on the ongoing bullying controversy surrounding the show.
The 70-year-old entertainer, who was paired with professional dancer Nancy Xu, became the first contestant eliminated from the 2023 series after losing the dance-off.
During his appearance on the ITV breakfast show, host Richard Madeley asked Dennis about his experience on the BBC hit.
He shared: “I was only there for two weeks and you rehearse with your partner separately.
“I was in a bubble between home and wherever I was on tour. I was in 42nd street at the time.
The comedian insisted that his “experience was great,” but said that the show is “the hardest thing ever”.
Talking to Madeley and Trisha Goddard, he added: “I used to joke to friends that I felt like I was in Black Swan.
“It is tough, your professional partner wants to win as much as you do and they want to push you outside of your comfort zone.”
Directed by Darren Aronofsky and co-starring Mila Kunis, Black Swan (2010) is a psychological thriller about a troubled ballet dancer (Natalie Portman) and her diabolical quest for perfection.
Strictly, while not as dark as Black Swan, does share the theme of striving for perfection, and it appears that for some contestants, the quest can be overwhelming.
Dennis's comments come at a time when Strictly Come Dancing is embroiled in a bullying scandal.
The controversy first came to light in January when actress Amanda Abbington accused her Strictly partner Giovanni Pernice of abuse after she unexpectedly quit the show just five weeks in.
The Sherlock actress, 50, a has made a series of accusations about Pernice’s teaching methods and has described his behaviour as 'unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean'. He strongly denies all of the claims.
Abbington recently claimed there are 50 hours of video footage – from cameras she alleges were installed after she raised concerns during her first week – which Pernice “doesn’t want anyone to see” but have been reviewed by the BBC.
In an interview with her former Strictly co-star Krishnan Guru-Murthy for Channel 4 News, she said: “It's out there. There is evidence out there of what happened in that room and I'm not the one who's blocking it.
"I've said anyone can watch it, but he [Giovanni] doesn't want anyone to see it, which is quite telling if he's got nothing to hide.
"Yes, it's bullying and it's aggressive behaviour, there were other things that were very upsetting, that you manage in the room at the time, because you're a woman, and you have to manage those things because otherwise, what do you do?"
Pernice has vehemently denied the claims. A spokesman for the dancer previously said: “We are co-operating fully with the BBC’s review process.
“All parties have been asked to respect this process and to not speak to the media before it concludes. We will continue to respect the integrity of the investigation and believe it is the right forum for all the evidence to be reviewed.
“As part of the evidence-led review, the BBC has shared the allegations they have been able to substantiate with us. They do not resemble Amanda’s latest allegations, given to Channel 4, in any shape or form.
“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.
“We would urge people to wait for the review’s conclusion and not to pay heed to these very serious and defamatory allegations that have no evidence in support of them.”
The cast of the upcoming 2024 series have started rehearsals while the results of the BBC investigation are imminent.
The results of an investigation, launched by the BBC following the allegations, have not yet been published by the corporation.
In July professional dancer Graziano Di Prima left the show after allegations about his treatment of Love Island star Zara McDermott in 2023.
Paralympian Will Bayley also revealed he suffered a serious injury while performing a jump during Strictly rehearsals in 2019, and claimed he was shown “no duty of care”.
Last month the broadcaster announced new measures to “strengthen welfare and support” on the show, including a chaperone who would be present during training room rehearsals “at all times”.
