Ann Widdecombe defends Strictly Come Dancing from abuse allegations

Ann Widdecome has defended Strictly Come Dancing from abuse allegations.

The former Conservative MP, who competed in the competition in 2010 with Anton Du Beke, insists the celebrities are in control and should be able to tell the professional dancers when they’ve had enough.

It comes after reports that the BBC show is to introduce production staff chaperones into all future rehearsals amid complaints made about two of its former professional dancers.

The corporation will also reportedly add two dedicated welfare producers to the show's crew and deliver more training for the production team, and that it takes duty of of care "extremely seriously".

Graziano Di Prima and Giovanni Pernice have both left the programme and a BBC investigation under way with Pernice dismissing allegations about his behaviour as "simply false" and Di Prima saying he "deeply" regrets the events that led to his own departure.

Zara McDermott, who was paired with Di Prima in the contest last year, said she had "wrestled with the fear" of speaking out about her time on the series and it has since been reported that her partner "kicked" her in rehearsals.

Disucssing the allegations on The Jeremy Vine Show on Wednesday (July 17), Ann said: "I'm sorry, I don't have much patience, for two reasons. First of all, everything that you do when you are training is filmed and recorded, and there's usually two people there, both sound and camera, but always at least one. So there's already a third party in the room and it's all on record. And if somebody is being kicked and punched, that should have been filmed, that's the first thing.

"The second thing is, amazingly as it may appear, it is the celebrity who's in control. You can say, sorry, I can't do any more today. And in fact, one of the professionals told me a story of how he drove all the way to Brighton for the training session with his celeb, and she said, 'Oh, terribly sorry, I'm off to get a new bathroom'. We are actually in control. We can say, 'Sorry, I'm worn out, I've had enough, can’t do the thing you want me to do."

"Now, you know these are adults. I’d take a very seriously view of this if these were kids. These are adults. What do we mean, bullied? These are adults, what do we mean bulling? Why didn’t they take action?

"And as for having a welfare person there, when I was there, somebody called Charlotte Oats, was the celebrity booker, and she looked after us, and if we had a particular requirement, we went to see her. You know, it's nothing new and the idea that you’re going to have a chaperone for an adult – an adult!"

Show contriubtors Carole Malone and Kevin Maguire both shared their points of view on the "bad treatment" celebrites have allegedly recieved on the show but Ann insisted: "It's pathetic, if they can't say, you know that their professional is treating them in a way. Why didn't she simply call a halt and say, until you behave better, I am not going on with this, and if you've got a problem, you go and you tell the producers what you're doing, why didn’t she do that?

The Jeremy Vine Show airs Monday-Friday from 9am on Channel 5