Strictly’s ‘solid are livid’ over the return of Aljaž Škorjanec

Strictly Come Dancing’s cast and crew are reportedly furious over the return of professional dancer Aljaž Škorjanec, as it’s claimed he was involved in backstage row with a female dancer.

The Slovenian dancer, 34, is set to return to the BBC show for its new series, two years after an altercation on the 2022 live tour, according to The Sun.

Two years after his exit, it’s reported that Aljez departed the show after an alleged ‘shocking’ incident with a fellow female professional dancer on the nationwide tour.

The decision to bring back the star to the BBC show has reportedly raised eyebrows, especially given a string of scandals that have beset the show in recent weeks. 

A source told the publication: ‘Has the BBC learned nothing from the past ten months? 

‘Amid ongoing furore around the behaviour of its male pros, they actively recruited a dancer who left under a cloud. 

‘Aljaž was touted as an unproblematic, returning legend but that couldn’t be further from the truth.’

The source claimed the crew and cast were ‘relieved’ to see his departure two years ago and are now ‘aghast’ to see him back on the show

They revealed he allegedly got ‘very drunk’ on a night out on tour two years ago which led him being involved in a ‘very serious, pretty shocking altercation’ with a female.

The incident was said to have made the female dancer feel ‘deeply uncomfortable’. 

Aljaž’s scene has been reportedly discussed backstage at length since and the decision to bring him back has ‘baffled’ the crew. 

‘Execs would have to be living in a cave not to have heard the rumours’, the source added.       

According to the publication, the BBC denied an official complaint was made over the incident, and it had been previously stated that Aljaz left of his own accord. 

The BBC declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline, and told The Sun that they did not recognise the claims against Aljaz.

MailOnline has reached out to Aljaž’s representatives for a comment. 

The return of the professional dancer, who is married to fellow Strictly pro and It Takes Two host Janette Manrara, is the latest drama to hit the BBC show, as several allegations of abuse from professionals have come to light.

The scandal erupted when actress Amanda Abbington quit the show last year before claiming that her partner Giovanni Pernice was abusive towards her – later leaving the show. Giovanni has vehemently denied the claims.

Amanda, 50, abruptly left the BBC show citing ‘personal issues’ and hasn’t been seen on screen since, even quitting social media last month in the wake of her former dance partner’s sacking.

Giovanni, 33, was suspended while a BBC probe is underway over allegations made by Amanda and two other former celebrity partners.

Sources previously claimed Amanda, Ranvir Singh and Laura Whitmore had an ’emotional summit’ where they ‘compared notes’ about their time working with Giovanni on the show.

Amanda quit Strictly due to ‘personal reasons’ before reports she had demanded footage of their rehearsals after the experience in the competition left her with PTSD.

Meanwhile Ranvir complained about Giovanni to producers back in 2020, during their time on the show, while Laura said she ‘cried every day’ and felt ‘uncomfortable’ while dancing with him in 2016.

The BBC are currently believed to be scouring through nine years of Strictly footage to confirm or deny claims from three celebrities.

Giovanni has not returned for the show’s 2024 season.      

Soon after, it emerged that Graziano Di Prima had been sacked for ‘kicking’ his partner, Love Island star Zara McDermott.

Strictly bosses then announced plans to introduce chaperones during training, and the appointment of two new welfare producers, after Graziano’s shock sacking from the show.

Love Island star Zara broke her silence on the scandal as she wrote on Instagram on Tuesday morning that while much of her time on Strictly ‘was everything I could have dreamt of’ inside the training room with Graziano there were ‘particular incidents which are incredibly distressing’.

‘I felt it was right that I post something regarding the recent media reports,’ Zara began. ‘Strictly is one of the most magical shows on TV and one that I dreamt of being on since I was a little girl.’

Zara explained that she didn’t report the incidents at the time as she was ‘scared’ of backlash. 

New reports then emerged claiming that Zara also suffered a leg fracture during training, and continued to dance. 

She picked up the nasty injury while preparing to dance and despite being in agonising pain, pushed through to compete in the dance-off. 

Zara is thought to have told BBC bosses of the ‘rigorous’ training sessions she endured while paired with Graziano on the show.

However, a source close to Graziano told the publication that he encouraged her to take breaks, and she wanted to continue training despite her pain.

Then an unnamed female Strictly dancer was brought into the scandal after it was reported that they screamed in their male partner’s face and berated him off-camera.

The Daily Mirror reported that the household name’s allegations do not include physical abuse.

A source said: ‘The man in question felt very much victimized by the behaviour of his Strictly partner.

‘He alleges that on several occasions she flew into a real fury when he couldn’t get the steps right, and on one occasion screamed full in his face. They rowed every single day.

‘He was left upset, struggling to sleep, and feeling isolated in the process. But even worse, he felt totally unsupported by Strictly. When he suffered the setback, it was clear he was struggling, but he felt there was no duty of care. After leaving the show, he was not contacted again, even by phone.’

The source said he had been in a bad place and feared a public ­backlash if he spoke out.

And despite the show”s controversial months, Aljaž – who was accused of upsetting show staff with ‘aggressive and pompous behaviour’ in 2022 – is set to return.

Aljaz, who the series before was paired with Dragon’s Den star Sara Davies, revealed in 2022 that he would be leaving Strictly, with sources adding he was ‘on the fence’ about leaving before deciding to move onto other projects. 

A source told The Sun that members of the crew were left ‘really upset’ by ‘incidents’ involving Aljaz during Strictly’s previous series. 

They added: ‘He verbally lashed out at various staff members behind the scenes in what some thought was an unnecessarily aggressive manner.

‘Aljaz was seen by some as arrogant and pompous too – and it left a bad taste in some of the staff’s mouths. Not many people will miss him.’

However a representative for Aljaz told the publication: ‘Aljaz has the utmost respect for everyone working on the show and it is untrue to say he was forced out or acted in an aggressive manner at any time. 

‘It was Aljaz’s decision to leave the show after an incredible 9 years.’

Sarah James, Executive Producer of Strictly Come Dancing said at the time: ‘We are so sad to be saying goodbye to Aljaž after almost a decade as a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing. 

‘Since lifting the glitterball with Abbey Clancy in his debut series he has become a firm favourite with viewers across the country. 

‘During his nine series he has provided us with some unforgettable moments on the show through his incredible choreography, passion for dance and heart of gold.

‘He will be missed by his Strictly family, both on and off the dancefloor, and we wish him only the very best as he embarks on his next chapter.’ 

It came after sources revealed that Aljaz had made his decision to leave Strictly ‘a little while ago’ having pondered for some time, and is grateful to the show for allowing his ‘dream become a reality’. ‘