Jay McGuiness, who won Strictly Come Dancing in 2015 with professional dancer Aliona Vilani, has opened up about the tensions that occur behind the scenes of the BBC show. The former The Wanted singer, now 29, told The Sun that viewers only see a fraction of what happens backstage, with many dramas going unreported.
“Loads more happens on Strictly than is reported, and nearly everything that is reported is not exactly what happened,” McGuiness said. He explained that when contestants are having a “dark day,” the crew allows them space to vent, and these moments often go unnoticed by the public. “People have dark days and nine times out of ten, the crew and everyone lets it happen and it goes under the radar,” he added.
McGuiness noted that the high-pressure environment can lead to outbursts. “There's a really high tension situation; we had some real wild characters and then when the camera comes on they pull it together and they're like: 'Please vote for us’,” he said. However, he declined to name specific individuals, emphasising that the full picture is never known to outsiders.
Currently starring in the West End production Sleepless: A Musical Romance alongside Kimberley Walsh, McGuiness also ruled out a future role as a Strictly judge. He cited the difficulty of judging experts after having been a contestant and referenced the criticism faced by previous judges. “You have to go in with some sort of credential at this point to be respected and I don’t think that mine are up to par,” he confessed.
