Strictly’s Katya Jones ‘can’t speak for other dancers’ as she opens up on training room tactics amid complaints scandal
STRICTLY star Katya Jones has spoken up about the atmosphere in her dance studio after the scandal involving Graziano Di Prima.
The Russian dancer and choreographer shared that she takes a gentle approach during her training sessions, as she recognises the celebs she works with are “not my tool to win the show”.
While appearing on Mark Wogan’s podcast, Katya was asked if she has a competitive attitude when it comes to Strictly.
She explained why that is not the case for her, saying: “It’s not about me. “I’m (not) there to win and they’re not my tool to win the show, my celebrity.”
However, when Mark tried to quiz her on the difference between her approach and that of her co-stars, she shut the conversation down swiftly.
“I absolutely cannot talk on others’ behalf,” she stated firmly. “I only know my rehearsal room.”
Katya was more than happy to talk about her own training style though, adding: “I had eight celebrities so far, all of them learned differently, is to encourage them to do more, right? By telling them, ‘That’s not good’ or ‘That’s worse, you can’t do it’.
“The only thing, you just want to stop, don’t you, if something doesn’t go right and you keep pressing. They just want to stop.
“My job is to want them to come back to the rehearsal, want them to do it again, ‘Oh, can’t wait for tomorrow’.
“That’s my job and the only way of doing it is by finding what works for them.”
The pro dancer’s comments come after Strictly was rocked by a video surfacing which showed Graziano Di Prima “screaming, kicking and spitting” at Zara McDermott during rehearsals.
Graziano, who joined the show in 2018, had his BBC contract terminated when he was spoken to on Monday.
Zara later broke her silence with an emotional statement posted on social media.
She said: “I have wrestled with the fear of opening up – I was scared about public backlash, I was scared about my future, I was scared of victim shaming.”
While Zara insisted that the Strictly production team and everyone behind the scenes were “amazing to work with”, she confessed that her “experience inside the training room was very different” and said: “There were witnesses to some events as well as videos of particular incidents which are incredibly distressing to watch.”
Graziano Di Prima - Strictly statement in FULL
GRAZIANO Di Prima has addressed his Strictly Come Dancing sacking with a statement on social media - see the details below.
In a statement shared to his Instagram page Graziano wrote: “I deeply regret the events that led to my departure from Strictly. My intense passion and determination to win might have affected my training regime.
“Respecting the BBC HR process, I understand it’s best for the show that I step away.”
He continued: “While there are aspects of this story involving external influences that I can’t discuss at this time, I remain committed to being strong for my family and friends.
“I wish the Strictly family and the BBC nothing but success in the future.”
He concluded the post: “I also want to thank everyone who has supported my career, both professionally and personally. When the time is right, I will share my story.”