Former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Danny John-Jules has accused the BBC of “creating stories” about him during his time on the show.
Danny was a competitor on last year’s series of Strictly, getting off to a strong start in the competition and even becoming the first star to get a 10 from the judges.
However, things took a turn after stories were published in the tabloid press about his alleged behaviour behind the scenes, including accusations of “bullying” his professional partner Amy Dowden, which he vehemently denied.
In a new interview with Metro, he said: “I’ve said it since day one that that rubbish came out and I say it today, my conscience is clean.
“Every single person in the show associated with the show knows the truth and know that I am telling the truth. That’s why you don’t see me sweating now in front of the camera... I’ve got a clear conscience.”
Suggesting what he thinks transpired, he added: “There were two scenarios; either someone was backstage selling stories or it was manipulated by the press themselves.
“Now if the BBC heard something that wasn’t true why didn’t they say, ‘That’s not true?’. If it’s not true, say it’s not true. If you don’t defend me, that’s your business. If you do defend me that’s your business. The BBC never said it wasn’t true… they created the stories.”
He went on to suggest that the BBC may have wanted to get rid of him, after he was saved by the public despite being at the bottom of the leaderboard that week.
A BBC representative told HuffPost UK his suggestion was “categorically untrue”.
When the press suggested last year that Danny was on his “final warning” from producers, a Strictly insider told HuffPost UK that no such warning had been given, while the actor later went on to suggest there was a “vendetta” against him.
He had previously implied in a Twitter post that the negative stories being written about him were rooted in racism.
After being voted off the show, Danny declined to be interviewed on spin-off show It Takes Two, although his professional partner Amy did appear solo, where she denied claims he had bullied her.