Strictly Come Dancing: Dan Walker condemns ‘disappointing rumours’ about show’s ‘curse’
‘I needed somebody to give a hug to, and that was literally it’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Dan Walker has condemned rumours surrounding him and the show’s long-standing “curse”.
The “curse” is a term used by fans of the long-running BBC reality series to refer to a supposed tendency among celebrity contestants to become romantically involved with their professional dance partners.
Speaking to The Sun, Walker responded to speculation that he had fallen victim to the curse, after he and partner Nadiya Bychkova were seen hugging backstage.
“There was only one person I was allowed to touch in the entire production that night and that was my partner,” said Walker, who had just filmed an emotional tribute to mark the 10th anniversary of a friend’s death.
“I needed somebody to give a hug to, and that was literally it. Nadiya was great. She said nice things, and I felt a lot better. We all need that sometimes,” he said.
Walker and Bychkova were eliminated from this year’s Strictly competition in the 11th round.
The BBC Breakfast presenter went on to say that the “rumours” about the pair of them were “disappointing”.
“I know these happen every year on Strictly, and there have been instances in the past of the so-called curse, and it’s just telly. But it’s just not nice,” he continued.
“Being paired with Nadiya was never a problem. Friendship is a blessing. And I think from the moment we first met, Nadiya and I knew we were going to get on. But I’ve always introduced her on any social media video I’ve ever done as my ‘professional partner’ because that’s her job. She is very professional.”
Strictly Come Dancing concludes at 7pm on BBC One on Saturday 18 December.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments