STRICTLY Come Dancing star Craig Revel Horwood has taken a swipe at the BBC show over its “late” decision to include same-sex pairings.
This year, the BBC show marks its 20th anniversary, however they’ve only included same-sex pairings since 2020, 16 years after the show started.
While it has now become a regular occurrence, with at least one same-sex pairing appearing on each line-up since, judge Craig believes they should’ve done more sooner.
Speaking to RadioTimes, he said: “I think we did it one year too late. I wish we’d been braver sooner, but we’re there now.”
"Viewers are more open-minded than we give them credit for. Some people will kick up a stink initially, then suddenly they’re fine with it and that’s how we change the world – from the persecution of gay men to two men dancing on national television."
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Olympic athlete Nicola Adams made Strictly history on the show as part of the first same-sex pairing with pro dancer Katya Jones in 2020.
It came a year after the show tested the water with the show’s first professional same-sex routine, with male/female pro couples switching into same-sex couples halfway through a dance to Believer by Imagine Dragons.
Graziano Di Prima and Johannes Radebe also danced a same-sex routine together as Emeli Sande performed on the show - a performance that registered a total of 300 complaints, which were not upheld by the BBC.
After that, Bake Off winner John Whaite was partnered with Johannes Radebe in 2021, making it through to the finale.
In 2022, the show doubled up on its efforts, with Richie Anderson paired up with Giovanni Pernice, while comedian Jayde Adams was partnered with Karen Hauer.
Last year, 2023 Bad Education’s Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin - who appeared on the Celebrity Big Brother line-up this year - made it through to the finals as a pairing.
However, the show was hit with complaints over the same-sex inclusion, with the first year seeing more than 100 people writing in to hit back against the show’s choice when it was first announced.
But the BBC remained steadfast with their decision, saying in a statement at the time: “Strictly Come Dancing is an inclusive show and is proud to have featured same sex dancing amongst the professional dancers in group numbers in previous series
“We have stated, in the past, that we are open to the prospect of including same sex pairings between our celebrities and professional dancers, should the opportunity arise."
Saying they were "happy to facilitate" Nicola Adams' request for a female partner, they added: "The show is first and foremost about dance, the sex of each partner within a coupling should have no bearing on their routine.”
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Strictly Come Dancing returns later this year to BBC One.
