Strictly left Paralympian with injuries he'll 'never get over'

Will Bayley was a contestant on the show in 2019 and made it to week six before having to pull out over a knee injury

A former Strictly Come Dancing contestant has said his time on the show left him with "injuries that still affect me to this day".

Paralympian Will Bayley, who appeared on the show in 2019, was left in "horrific pain" after practising a jump in rehearsals with his professional partner Janette Manrara.

The 36-year-old table tennis champion told The Sun he didn't want to do the jump and his coach had also told the show beforehand that he "can't do jumps".

A BBC spokesman said it had "longstanding protocols for dealing with injuries if they occur and that includes contestants receiving all necessary treatment and support as required."

A representative for Manrara told BBC News: "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."

Bayley left the series in week seven after sustaining the injury, saying at the time that he was "gutted [his] Strictly journey had come to an end."

He is the latest celebrity to speak out about his negative experience on the show after Zara McDermott and Amanda Abbington made allegations against their former dance partners, Graziano Di Prima and Giovanni Pernice respectively.

• Giovanni Pernice insists 'I’ll be back' after Strictly accusation

• 'Frustrating' and 'pressurised': Life inside Strictly rehearsals

• A timeline of how the Strictly saga has unfolded

Speaking about the accident, Bayley said a table was brought out during rehearsals for him to practise the jump.

"I said, ‘I’m not sure I can land safely’, but everyone assured me I would be fine," he recalled.

Bayley was born with arthrogryposis which affects all four of his limbs and limits the range of motion in the joints. He was also diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma during childhood.

Bayley said the injury was sustained after Manrara allegedly told him to redo the jump because his earlier attempt was "rubbish" and he needed to show more passion.

“I was really determined, so I went for it and smiled at the camera. When I landed I just had the most horrific pain. I still have flashbacks now," he said.

Bayley underwent reconstructive knee surgery in January last year, after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament while on the programme.

'No duty of care'

Following the accident, Bayley claims the paramedic on site took him to a hotel room and put ice on his knee.

He said he "didn’t go to hospital until two days later, where they finally scanned my leg and told me I needed to pull out".

"I should have been taken to hospital as soon as I had the accident, but all they cared about was trying to get me to dance."

Bayley said he doesn't blame his dance partner Janette Manrara as she was "under pressure from bosses"

The Paralympian, who was made an MBE in 2017, said bosses made him feel like the injury was his fault and there was no duty of care after the injury.

“No one has ever contacted me from the BBC or said sorry," he said.

Bayley's request to gain compensation for loss of earnings from the BBC was denied, but the broadcaster paid for him to have surgery in 2020.

During this time, the athlete said he "put on three stone and was struggling with depression".

Bayley said he thought his partner Manrara 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".

“She was a passionate teacher and she was part of the decision to do the jump. I feel she could have protected me more, but I didn’t have an issue with her. It was mentally hard and I didn’t want to let her down.”