Former Strictly Come Dancing professional Pasha Kovalev has waded in on the misconduct scandal and said ‘a lot of people don’t believe’ the accusations.
The dancer, 44, who starred on the BBC series from 2011 until 2018.
Appeared on Loose Women on Thursday to share this thoughts on the probe and pay tribute to his late co-star Robin Windsor.
The show has descended into crisis in recent weeks as the sacking of pros Graziano Di Prima and Giovanni Pernice over misconduct.
Claims have led to several other celebrities speaking out about negative experiences on the show.
On Wednesday, Amanda Abbington doubled down on allegations against her ex-dance partner Giovanni.
After she said his behaviour was ‘unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean’ in rehearsals.
Pasha said: ‘It is sad and shocking that we are in the situation we are in now. We need to find ways to make sure that it doesn’t happen again.’
He added: ‘I am sure a lot of people don’t believe it. So, some [contestants] are coming forward and not being heard.
‘We need to make an atmosphere to make sure everyone is heard. Everyone should feel comfortable and have the best time of their lives because a lot of people do.’
Strictly professional Robin died unexpectedly aged 44 in February. Details of how the Strictly star died have not yet been disclosed.
Pasha added of his friend and co-star: ‘The news of his passing came as a huge shock to me. To all of his friends.
‘As a friend I start thinking, “Could I have done something more?”‘
During this time on the series Pasha met his wife Rachel Riley in 2013. They married in 2019.
And in April this year Rachel said the show left her with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and called for all contestants to receive cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
Rachel said of her PTSD: ‘I got PTSD following Strictly. A lot of people who have done it can relate. It’s like a trauma bonding, hostage situation, not with your partner but with the show.’
She continued: ‘You love doing it and it’s so much fun, you get all of the endorphins from the training and achieving something just being in the moment.
‘All you’re supposed to be doing is learning this dance, that’s all you’re doing, you haven’t got any distractions, you haven’t got to do the washing, check your phone, you haven’t got to do anything else.
‘By the end of the week, you’ve achieved it and done it and you’ve got that gratification.
‘The dancing thing was quite scary and it brings up a lot of emotions. Each year Pasha would do it, I would remember what happened my week and all of the emotions and that and then the next person, I would be over empathizing and each year was layers of memories and I didn’t enjoy it.’
‘I know from my time on it, 11 years ago, even the most sane, solid, grounded people, it can do something to you,’ she added as she spoke at the Inspiration Awards For Women at The Landmark Hotel in London.
‘And there’s so many people that I’ve seen in subsequent years that have that shared experience. I don’t think even production are aware of quite what it does to people.
‘When I was doing it, I was recommended CBT, and I think that’s actually been really great.’
CBT is a talking therapy that can help patients manage problems by altering the way they think about them.
It’s often used to treat anxiety, depression and PTSD and focuses on improving a person’s state of mind.
A course of treatment with an NHS therapist can usually be between six and 20 hour-long sessions.
She also previously admitted to experiencing an ‘out-of-body experience’ as soon as the music started.
Faced with having to tackle her anxiety issues, she enlisted the help of a psychotherapist prior to her departure from the series during the final week.
Speaking candidly on the High Performance Woman podcast Rachel said: ‘I’d never danced a step before in my life and it was absolutely terrifying.
‘You go in there on a Sunday to learn a new dance and on the Saturday you’re dancing in front of 10 million people.’
‘Then you get the judges comments and it would be like the end of the world. I think I was in the dance off, which is like dance for you life to be voted off or stay on.
‘And the next week I was on the floor doing the dance and Pasha, my partner, said ‘you’re not there’ and said that I go and see Michael [the psychotherapist].’
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Source: New York Post
