Ola ‘fired’ for saying Strictly’s fixed
BBC bosses’ fury after she questioned show’s integrity
SHE has become known as much for her controversial antics off the dance floor as for her skimpy out-fits and raunchy moves on it.
Now Strictly Come Dancing star Ola Jordan seems finally to have crossed a line after claiming the programme is rigged and has been banned from this weekend’s shows.
Sources have told the Daily Mail that the allegations left producers ‘angry and dis-gusted as they called into question the integrity of the programme’. She will not be appearing in this evening’s or tomor-row’s professionals’ dance routines and, with only four weeks left in the series, it is unlikely she will be asked to return.
In an interview last weekend, Mrs Jordan — the first professional to be eliminated this year — accused judges of over and under-marking routines in order to keep certain couples in the competition. The claims were denied this week by the BBC and Strictly’s head judge Len Goodman.
They have seen the Polish-born dancer, 33, banned from this weekend’s shows while bosses consider what to do.
Mrs Jordan has been part of Strictly for almost ten years but has already revealed she will be leaving at the end of the current series. It is far from the first time she has clashed with BBC bosses, having previously found herself in trouble for her racy photo shoots, claims the dancers were paid too little and involvement in reality TV series The Jump that saw her injure her leg.
Last year she was reprimanded after her celebrity partner, wildlife presenter Steve Backshall, accused her of bullying. A source close to Strictly said she had always been the ‘militant one’, adding that producers are so disgusted by her latest claims that it is unlikely she will work for the BBC again.
The dancer is married to equally outspoken former Strictly professional James Jordan, 37, who was axed 18 months ago amid reports he had clashed with judge Craig Revel Horwood.
Last night a source close to the show said: ‘Behind the scenes, and even when James was there, she was always the mili-tant, communist one, always complaining about the hours they had to work, how the dancers were being treated – and the pro-ducers put up with it because she was regarded as the husbands’ favourite.
‘Then James was let go from the show, Ola decided to stay but there was a change in her, she became bitter about James not being on the show. Ola also started to think she was bigger than the show and that this would be her last series, but she couldn’t keep her mouth shut until the end of the series. Her claims the show was rigged disgusted the producers given they felt they had turned her into a household name. It became open war between Ola and Strictly, and as of today they have decided she is not doing any more group dances and will never work for the Corpo-ration again in any capacity.’
Another source added: ‘She has been dropped from taking part in the show this week and with four weeks left of the show it is unlikely that she will be asked to return’.
Mrs Jordan joined the show in 2006. She has partnered celebrities including Paul Daniels, Sid Owen and Steve Backshall.
While she won the seventh series with BBC presenter Chris Hollins, this year saw her bow out first with Olympic athlete Iwan Thomas.
Mrs Jordan has previously found herself at loggerheads with bosses for her risque photo shoots, where she poses semi-naked. She has also claimed dancers should be paid more money, once com-menting: ‘The judges all make a fortune. We get OK money. But compared to the judges? They sit one day a week and get a lot more than the dancers. Is that fair?’
A BBC spokesman said: ‘Ola has been given time off and continues to be part of production.’