Melvin Odoom has spoken out over accusations of racism, that have surrounded the current series of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’.
Over the past two weeks, some critics have accused ‘Strictly’ voters of racism, when Melvin became the first celebrity to be booted off the show, followed by ‘EastEnders’ star Tameka Empson.
However, Melvin has now responded to these claims, insisting that he wouldn’t have wanted to take part in a show that was racist.
He tells The Sun: “If there was a racist issue we wouldn’t be there in the first place.
Melvin’s elimination also made headlines because he was unable to compete in the dance-off against Anastacia, who he’d landed in the bottom two with.
The ‘I’m Outta Love’ singer was not able to perform for a second time because she’d sustained an injury during her routine, tearing scar tissue from a mastectomy years prior.
Despite this, she still came under some rather unfair criticism for not dancing, which Melvin and his professional partner Janette Manrara later defended on spin-off show ‘It Takes Two’.
Janette said: “It was such a specific situation and it is no one’s fault. Things happen sometimes and you just have to abide by the rules.
“We love Anastacia and Brendan [Cole], we wish her the best, best speedy recovery.”
While both Melvin and Tameka have now both been booted off the show, the current series lost another contestant earlier in the week, when Will Young announced he was leaving for “personal reasons”.