BBC Strictly Come Dancing pros say being 'punched in face' is 'just how it works'

Former Strictly Come Dancing stars have spoken out about the dance show's intensity, noting that unintended physical contact like being "punched in the face" is part of the package.

Ex-Strictly professionals Brendan Cole, James Jordan, Pasha Kovalev, Vincent Simone, and Ian Waite are set to reunite for a Legends of the dance floor tour. They were guests on ITV's This Morning to promote the event.

Hosts Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard questioned the group about current controversies surrounding BBC's popular competition series. This followed Graziano Di Prima's departure due to alleged abusive interactions backstagea claim echoed against Giovanni Pernice, which he strongly refutes.

Speaking candidly, James Jordan remarked: "I think it's sad, of course, because it is such a family show. Like we said, we still love the show we still love watching it."

He continued, addressing the recent issues: "These two isolated incidents, apart from that, if you speak to 99% of the people who have done Strictly, they've had such an amazing experience, so we're talking about two incidents over 20 years and it's such a shame it's happened at this crucial moment in Strictly history," reports the Mirror.

Pasha opened up about his own mishaps leading up to the tour, having broken a finger during practice and needing stitches in his chin post-dance. Despite the dangers, the five affirmed they "don't need chaperones" on their tour in light of the new safety protocols put in place following the Scandal on the BBC show.

Brendan opened up about the intense physicality of Strictly Come Dancing, saying: "It's very physical. What the partners go through on Strictly or in a rehearsal room like this, you've got to get it. You've got to be on it, you're doing lifts. You're going to have accidents. We've had a punch in the face, we've had a broken finger... it's how it works. But it's also what makes it so exciting."

During the discussion, Cat questioned whether the show has become too demanding for the stars: "But do you think it's reached a level where it's too much, there's too much pressure on the celebrities? Because we've seen all these different moves, we've seen the lifts... we're asking for more?"

After some consideration, James confessed that as professionals, they do push their celebrity partners: "As teachers and choreographers, we do want the best. We want to win. We do push the celebrities as hard as we can, but it's an amazing process."

He then added a positive spin on the experience: "What a great thing for the celebrities to be able to do, to go on a show and learn a skill that somebody else is teaching them, every week!"