Chris McCausland opens up on Strictly scandals as he confesses that 'he understands why some celeb clash with their dance partners'

Chris McCausland has opened up on Strictly Come Dancing scandals as he confessed that 'he understands why some celebrities clash with their professional dance partners on the show'. 

Throughout most of 2024, Strictly was embroiled in a scandal which started when Sherlock actress Amanda Abbington accused her partner Giovanni Pernice of bullying during their training.

But 2024 show winner Chris, 47, who was paired with Dianne Buswell, has now spoken out about the situation and said he understood 'the idea of feeling emotionally pressured because you've all got different objectives.'

He told The Sunday Times: 'Some people's objective might be to survive another week, whereas from the dancers' point of view the objective is to succeed because that's their profession; that's what their reputation is based on. I can see that there can be a clash.'

Chris added that he could 'see how people struggled with it in the past, because you've got to be tough.' 

Towards the end of the competition, the comedian said he himself struggled due to the '15 hours' of training a day. 

He explained it left him 'broken' from how 'relentless' the training regime was. 

But in the end, the CBeebies star reigned supreme over Love Island contestant Tasha Ghouri, Miranda actress Sarah Hadland and JLS singer JB Gill.

Overall, the four couples had received a combined total of 472 out of a possible 480, beating all previous years.

Chris' series was in shadow of one of the hardest years for the show following a string of accusations made by former celebrity dancer, Amanda.

A months-long investigation was started up by the broadcaster, and professional Giovanni, who was paired with Amanda for the 2023 show, was not invited back onto the next series.

Giovanni was cleared of ten out of Amanda's 16 allegations when the BBC probe concluded in September but remained absent for the current edition of the series.

Despite bosses finding Giovanni was not threatening or physically abusive, it did uphold some of Amanda's complaints of verbal bullying and harassment. 

The BBC also agreed with Amanda at times he appeared to be giving her overly negative feedback. 

In a written statement, a spokesperson for Giovanni said: 'We are pleased that this six-month review has not found any evidence of threatening or abusive behaviour by Giovanni.'

What's more, dancer Graziano Di Prima was been sacked by the BBC following claims of gross misconduct towards his former partner Zara McDermott.

At the time,  Graziano, 30, admitted to kicking Zara during their sessions and claimed that he her so frightened that she 'locked herself in a toilet'. 

Mark Borkowski, a spokesperson for Graziano, told BBC News: 'There is never a time when kicking, or any sense of that is right. And he knows that.

'He knows he's made a mistake. He apologised at the time.'

Referring to the media reports, Mark added: 'But he doesn't recognise some of the issues surrounding it. The descriptions of what is being commented online, and how he remembers it, are not aligned.'

Upon its launch, the show received a major blow when viewing figures plummeted amid the scandals  and pulled in more than a million less than usual.

Another controversy arose when Katya Jones pushed her partner Wynne Evan's hand away from her during a live broadcast.

Appearing on spin-off series It Takes Two, Wynne admitted he had watched the footage of the incident back and confessed: 'I can see how people may have misinterpreted it.'

Clinging to his arm, Katya said she 'can't bear' the flack her co-star is getting and was empathetic that there was no wrongdoing.

She said: 'The idea that it made me feel uncomfortable or offended in any way is total nonsense, and those that have doubts, you guys have got it wrong. So hopefully this will be the end of it, and you just keep making me smile.'

She added: 'I can't sit here watching this man being portrayed as someone he's not. In fact, it couldn't be further away from the truth.

'So I have to make this absolutely clear that this whole incident, with the hand and the high five on Saturday night, was an inside joke between Wynne and I. Was it a silly joke? Yes, was it a bad joke? Yes.'

But during Chris's grand finale, the judges and viewers alike hailed it the 'best ever' final they had seen over the show's two decades on air. 

Chris gained his first perfect score of 40 points for a waltz to You’ll Never Walk Alone by Gerry and the Pacemakers, which was his final dance of the series and left the judges and viewers in tears. 

His second routine was a medley of dance styles to You Get What You Give by New Radicals and he recreated his viral “blackout” moment for the first dance.

Chris and Dianne also danced to their own choice of tune – Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) by John Lennon.

Speaking earlier in the show, Chris said: 'I hope [me being on Strictly] will make a difference in people's attitudes towards people who are blind and disabled people. 

'When I started this my daughter was really nervous, she's eleven, and I think she fed off my fears and worries but she's been enjoying watching me and she's really proud.

'I've learned that I am more resilient, I think It will take a lot more to scare me in the future and something doesn't have to be perfect to be a success.'