James Jordan and his wife Ola, former stars of *Strictly Come Dancing*, were seen out and about for the first time since recent controversies erupted.
The couple, who seemed completely unaffected by the surrounding drama, enjoyed a family outing with their daughter Ella in Kent on Wednesday.
The spotlight turned harshly on James, 46, after an old video resurfaced showing him threatening his former dance partner Georgina Bouzova in 2006.
In the footage, he can be heard saying he would “drag her across the floor and scream at her” if she forgot her steps.
Additionally, it was revealed that Ola’s, 41, previous partner, Steve Backshall, had complained to the BBC in 2014 about Ola’s alleged “bullying” during their time together on the show.
Despite the recent allegations, Ola and James appeared cheerful and relaxed as they went for a morning walk.
The *Strictly* franchise has been hit with a wave of accusations from former contestants claiming they experienced “abuse” during rehearsals.
The investigation was sparked by Amanda Abbington’s claims that Giovanni Pernice, 33, subjected her to bullying training methods, which he denies.
Other former celebrity partners have also spoken out about Giovanni, citing off-camera misconduct.
Graziano Di Prima, 30, was recently removed from the upcoming series after reports emerged of him verbally and physically abusing his celebrity partner, Zara McDermott, 27, during last year’s competition.
Graziano admitted to the allegations and publicly apologized to Zara last week.
James Jordan’s Defense
James wasted no time defending himself against the resurfaced footage.
He criticized the BBC, claiming that much of the content was not related to Georgina and was exaggerated for entertainment purposes.
On Instagram, James shared a passionate statement asserting that the footage had been edited and that none of his dance partners ever complained about him during his tenure on the show.
In his post, James reflected on the edited video, saying, “For those of you who have seen the edited BBC VT of me training with Georgina 18 years ago – yes, I had hair once! The footage was put together by the BBC team for entertainment purposes and does not accurately represent the reality of the situation.”
Steve Backshall’s Complaints
Steve Backshall’s complaints about Ola’s treatment in 2014 included allegations of her being “rude and impatient.”
After he expressed his concerns, the BBC assigned a chaperone to oversee their interactions.
Backshall, struggling with physical limitations from a climbing accident and constant pain, expressed frustration over the demanding training schedules, which affected his social life.
James’s Social Media Jabs
James took to social media to make a light-hearted jab at Steve Backshall, poking fun at the situation after learning of Steve’s complaint about Ola. James quipped in response to a fan’s disbelief that the adventurous explorer could be “reduced to tears” by a dancer, humorously asking for help.
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