The BBC has responded to comments made by former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Rachel Riley about her experience on the show.
Rachel competed on Strictly back in 2013, where she became the sixth contestant to be eliminated from the series.
Speaking to the Sunday Times over the weekend, the Countdown presenter admitted she found Strictly to be “very produced” and accused bosses of showing preferential treatment to some celebs.
“I think they know from the start who they want to win and what journeys they want to take different people on, to have the right balance, and they can obviously fix the scores,” she claimed.
Rachel added: “I think Brits want an underdog. We want to build someone up, not see someone who is good from the start – that’s not the heart of these programmes.”
Dismissing Rachel’s suggestion, a BBC spokesperson told The Sun: “This claim is categorically untrue.
“The BBC has strict procedures and editorial guidelines in place regarding impartiality and Strictly upholds all of these.”
Throughout her time on Strictly, Rachel was paired with professional dancer Pasha Kovalev.
While she was married at the time, Rachel split from her husband shortly after Strictly and later began dating Pasha, with whom she is now married and shares two children.
Last week, the Maths expert voiced her frustration at her relationship being held up as an example of the so-called “Strictly curse”.
“We’ve got two children. At what point can you just not call my children ‘the Strictly curse’?” she said.
Last year, Rachel admitted that Strictly is something she now intentionally avoids, having undergone therapy for PTSD after her time on the show.
Rachel had previously claimed she’d advised famous pals against taking part, and also knows others who “have dropped out of it due to the mental pressures involved”.