Will Bayley says 'Bring on Tokyo' instead of Paris
Former Strictly Come Dancing star Will Bayley recently appeared on This Morning to share his experiences from the BBC show.
The Paralympian, who participated in the dance competition in 2019 alongside professional partner Janette Manrara, had to withdraw after six weeks due to a knee ligament injury sustained during rehearsals.
Now, amid a scandal highlighting the show's duty of care protocols, he is shedding light on his behind-the-scenes experience.
The table tennis champion revealed that the injury, which happened when Janette insisted he redo a jump following a "rubbish" attempt, has left him with agonising pain that he will endure "forever".
During his appearance on This Morning, Will engaged in a conversation with Alison Hammond and Joel Dommett, who was standing in for Dermot O'Leary, about his time on Strictly, but the discussion began on an awkward note, reports the Daily Star.
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Dressed in his Tokyo Paralympics tracksuit for the video call, Will mistakenly said: "Bring on Tokyo" instead of "Bring on Pairis", where the Olympic Games will be held this summer.
Will and Rob Davies, both Paralympic gold medallists, are part of an 11-athlete team representing ParalympicsGB in the table tennis events. After realising his error, Will corrected himself: "Ah I mean Paris. I'm wearing my Tokyo tracksuit thats why I said it."
Discussing his time on Strictly, Will confessed that he "didn't have an issue" with Manrara, who now co-presents the companion show It Takes Two. However, he pointed the finger at the intense pressure exerted by the show's producers on the professional dancers.
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"Ultimately, I think she was under a lot of pressure by the bosses to perform a certain way and I think it was them pushing me that caused the accident," he revealed, but added: "I feel she could have protected me more... It was mentally hard and I didn't want to let her down."
A representative for Manrara responded: "Janette had a great time dancing with Will and one of her favourite moments on the show was doing their contemporary couples choice."
"Her celebrity partner's safety and enjoyment was always the priority throughout her time on Strictly . Janette has never received any complaints and has maintained friendships with all her partners, including Will."
This Morning airs weekdays on ITV1 and ITVX at 10am
