Strictly Come Dancing: BBC denies Rachel Riley’s claims show’s scores are ‘fixed’

The BBC has denied Rachel Riley’s claims thatStrictly Come Dancing is “fixed”.

Riley, who appears on Channel 4 series Countdown, appeared on the dancing competition in 2014.

She was paired with professional dancer and future husband Pasha Kovalev, and they were voted off in the fifth week.

The series was eventually won by Abbey Clancy, who danced with Aljaž Škorjanec.

In a new interview with The Times, Riley said that the show, which is celebrating it’s 20th anniversary this year, is “very produced”.

She also said she thinks that producers “know from the start who they want to win and what journeys they want to take differencet people on, to have the right balance”.

Riley claimed, in order to achieve this, “they can obviously fix the scores”.

However, the BBC has denied Riley’s suggestion in a statement reading: “This claim is categorically untrue. The BBC has strict procedures and editorial guidelines in place regarding impartiality and Strictly upholds all of these.”

Rachel Riley has claimed ‘Strictly’ is ‘fixed’

(Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images)

Riley previously said that she “needed cognitive behavioural therapy” after competing on the show as it left her with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Speaking to The Mirror, she said: “If I heard the theme music, I’d start reliving the experience. It was scary and unnerving, so my way of dealing with it is to avoid watching.”

Riley married Kovalev, 41, in 2019 and the couple have two children.

Eldewhere in the same interview, Riley addressed the “attacks” on JK Rowling in the wake of her comments on trans rights, suggesting that the author’s backlash stems from her previous defence of Jews and criticism of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism

By registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists

Already have an account? sign in