Ola Jordan has thrown her support behind Strictly Come Dancing’s new healthcare protocol, just hours before shocking footage emerged of her husband James.
The BBC show announced plans to employ supervisors during training, and the appointment of two new welfare producers, after Graziano Di Prima, 30, was fired after rumors surfaced that he had verbally and physically abused his celebrity partner Zara McDermott.
It came just weeks after Giovanni Pernice, 33, was suspended pending a BBC investigation into allegations of behind-the-scenes misconduct by Amanda Abbington, 50, and two other former celebrities.
Former professional Strictly dancer Ola appeared to be in favour of appointing chaperones, writing on X: ‘So apparently the couples on Strictly are now going to have chaperones. I’m all for this as it will protect the professional dancers too. BUT… that could be the end of the Strictly curse’
Now shocking footage has emerged showing former professional dancer James Jordan, Ola’s husband, telling his partner he would “drag her across the floor and scream at her” if she forgot her dance moves.
Ola Jordan has thrown her support behind Strictly Come Dancing’s new duty of care protocol, just hours before shocking footage of her husband James emerged
Former professional Strictly dancer Ola wrote on X: ‘So apparently the couples on Strictly are now getting chaperones. I’m all for this as it protects the professional dancers too’
Shocking footage has emerged of former professional dancer James Jordan, Ola’s husband, telling his partner he will ‘drag her across the floor and scream at her’ if she forgets her moves.
Ola, who has a four-year-old daughter Ella with James, shared her message on social media just hours before the images of James were released.
The clip, which was filmed during the fourth season in 2006, shows him rehearsing with actress Georgina Bouzova.
He also tells her to “finish yourself” while demanding she stand on one leg and insists that he doesn’t care how much pain she’s in unless she’s broken a rib. He is also seen throwing a chair across the workout studio.
Jordan, who left Strictly in 2012 after appearing in eight seasons, also banned Ms Bouzova, who previously starred in BBC drama Casualty, from eating sweets and chocolate, only allowing her to buy pineapple and ham when they went to the supermarket together.
The video, which emerged just days after Graziano Di Prima was sacked for allegedly punching and kicking his partner Zara McDermott, was shown on the Strictly spin-off It Takes Two at the time, with then-presenter Claudia Winkleman introducing the video to viewers.
Halfway through the clip, the presenter returned to the show, ridiculing the behaviour by describing Jordan, the husband of fellow former Strictly pro Ola Jordan, as “an extraordinary human being”.
The video, shared on social media platform TikTok, opens with Jordan telling Ms Bouzova he is a “force to be reckoned with”, before ordering her to “move that f***ing foot”.
Ola, who has a four-year-old daughter Ella with James, shared her message on social media just hours before the images of James were released
Former professional dancer James Jordan was paired with actress Georgina Bouzova for the 2006 series of Strictly Come Dancing
In the clip, he also tells her to “finish yourself” while demanding she stand on one leg and insisting he doesn’t care how much pain she’s in unless she’s broken a rib.
Explaining why he makes the star work so hard, he says, “Unless she actually broke a rib, I don’t care… finish, stand on your left leg. Unless her feet are bleeding, I don’t care. If they’re sore, dance through it.”
Mrs Bouzova appeared surprised by the 46-year-old Jordan’s outbursts of anger and then asked: ‘I don’t know anymore, what are you going to do?’
He replies, “I’ll drag you across the floor and then yell at you when I get up.”
Later in the clip, Jordan tells Ms. Bouzova that she needs to lose weight. She told the camera, “Actually, he thinks I’m a bit of a pig,” to which he replied, “I said no chocolate, no chips. Every time I see you, you’re eating chocolate.”
She then asked if she looked fat. He said no. But when she asked, “Do I look like I could lose a few pounds?” he said, “Yes.”
On Monday, Jordan weighed in on the Di Prima scandal, writing on X: ‘Just saw that yet another professional dancer is not coming to Strictly – again for clearly abusive behaviour. What’s going on?’
The video emerges following claims by The Sun newspaper that there is a third former professional dancer whose name has been passed on to Carter-Ruck, the law firm representing Amanda Abbington. There is no indication that the dancer is Jordan.
Former Strictly Come Dancing professional James Jordan left Strictly in 2012 after appearing in eight seasons
In the clip, Mr Jordan also banned Ms Bouzova, who previously starred in BBC medical drama Casualty, from eating sweets and chocolate and only allowed her to buy pineapple and ham when they visited a supermarket together.
Little more is known about the person’s identity and the BBC reportedly does not know who or what he is accused of.
According to sources who are strictly speaking, they suspect the story was fabricated by former Sherlock star Abbington, who is still awaiting the outcome of an internal investigation by the BBC after she accused her partner Giovanni Pernice of bullying her during rehearsals.
Meanwhile, Strictly staff have accused the BBC of not reporting the scandal accurately on its own broadcasts.
On Tuesday evening, the Radio 4 news programme reported that Di Prima denied hitting or kicking Ms McDermott and on Wednesday morning the Today programme used the term “harsh training methods” to describe his behaviour towards the former Love Island contestant.
Strictly Come Dancing directors have announced that they are taking ‘additional steps to strengthen the welfare and support of Strictly Come Dancing.’
A statement from the corporation said: ‘The concerns that have arisen over the past few months have been fundamentally about training and rehearsals. The actions we are announcing today are designed to address that.’
It comes after Graziano Di Prima was sacked for punching and kicking his partner Zara McDermott (pictured together in October 2023).
It came just weeks after Giovanni Pernice, 33, was suspended amid a BBC investigation into claims of off-screen misconduct by Amanda Abbington, 50
The new measures include having a member of the production team present at rehearsals in the training room at all times and providing more support to both celebrity contestants and professional dancers.
For these additional tasks, a Celebrity Welfare Producer and a Professional Dancer Welfare Producer will be appointed. In addition, additional training will be provided for the production team and crew.
Kate Phillips, Director of Unscripted at the BBC, said: ‘We know that our shows have been a positive experience for the vast majority of participants. However, if concerns are raised with us or we are made aware of inappropriate behaviour, we will always take it seriously and take action.
‘The concerns that have arisen fundamentally relate to training and rehearsals. The decisive steps we have taken and announced today serve to further enhance the well-being and support for everyone involved in this production.’
