Seann Walsh will dance on Strictly, says BBC in wake of abuse claims
Campaigners criticise the decision to allow him to continue after photographs showed him kissing partner
THE BBC has drawn the ire of women’s campaigners after Charlotte Moore, its head of television, opted to keep Seann Walsh on Strictly Come Dancing and rejected his former girlfriend’s accusations of emotional abuse.
After a day of crisis talks between the BBC’S senior executives, Walsh and his management, it was announced that the comedian will return for Saturday night’s show to dance with Katya Jones, his professional partner.
Photographs of the pair kissing in the street prompted Rebecca Humphries, Walsh’s girlfriend, to release an extraordinary open letter.
She said he had branded her a “psycho” when she asked if he and Jones were becoming close, and went on: “I have a voice and will use it by saying this to any woman out there who deep down feels worthless and trapped with a man they love: believe in yourself and your instincts. It’s more than lying. It’s controlling.”
However, Moore, the BBC’S head of content and the most senior woman in British television, has chosen to stand by Walsh. It is understood that he denies Humphries’s account and is claiming that their relationship had been troubled for some time.
A source said: “This decision went much higher than the producers of Strictly. It has been very difficult but ultimately Seann has denied it and said there are two sides to every story. The feeling is that he is innocent until proven guilty, so he and Katya will continue on the show as normal.”
Caroline Criado Perez, the feminist campaigner and writer, said: “I just want to pre-empt comments that I know will be being made – he will argue that it’s just gossip and not relevant to any wider public perception. We need to move beyond the idea that what happens in the home is not relevant to what happens in public. “The BBC has more information than the public and I hope they can make the right decision.
“I don’t have huge faith that the BBC would get rid of him if it turned out he was abusive. Their reputation is one of protecting the institution rather than of standing up for women.” A spokesman for the Woman’s Trust said: “It is important for any woman or man to know that no one deserves to be abused or made to feel worthless. “This is a matter for the BBC and it’s important to recognise that there isn’t much information in the public domain. However, we are all responsible and should be held accountable for our actions.”
The allegations against Walsh will hang over Saturday night’s show, and some of the dancers and judges are said to be unhappy with the decision to let him perform. “Everyone on the show works so hard and this drama will overshadow the other couples,” a source said.
The atmosphere is already strained because Jones’s husband is also a dancer.
The BBC had been widely expected to dump Walsh. Instead, he and Jones will dance the Charleston on Saturday, a dance chosen to avoid the appearance of any sexual frisson. Walsh is booked to appear on It Takes Two, the Strictly spin-off show, when he will make a public appeal for forgiveness.
He declined to comment last night.