GMB’s Richard Madeley hits out at Strictly crisis as he says ‘the lid has been on’ scandals ‘for years’

RICHARD Madeley today claimed industry insiders knew about Strictly's abuse scandal "for years".

The broadcaster reacted to the deepening crisis at the BBC dance show on Good Morning Britain.

It comes after Zara McDermott spoke out this week following claims axed dancer Graziano Di Prima hit, spat at and kicked her during rehearsals.

And last night Strictly star James Jordan was forced to hit back after a viral clip of him calling his celeb partner Georgina Bouzova "fat" circulated online.

After sharing the latest update with ITV viewers, Richard, 68, said: "I have to say the people I know in that programme all talk about these issues."

He added: "They say they've all known for years and years and years but the lid has been kept on it and now it's coming off."

Graziano was sacked for misconduct weeks after former co-star Giovanni Pernice left the show under investigation.

Amanda Abbington - whom Giovanni was coupled up with last year - was the first to make a complaint claiming she was suffering from PTSD after appearing on the show.

On Tuesday the BBC officially announced a raft of new measures to protect the stars taking part in this year's competition.

Executives rushed to tighten duty of care rules and said each Strictly pairing will be accompanied by a chaperone at all times.

However, some former stars have claimed the approach won't work.

Edwina Currie, who was the first to be booted off Strictly in 2011, said last night: "It used to be a programme of entertainment. It used to be a programme in which you'd have all sorts of clowns like me, like John Sergeant, like Ann Widdecombe, people who could not dance."

The 77-year-old former politician continued: "The thought of having chaperones in every rehearsal fills me with dread. I mean, you won’t be able to flirt.

"You know, what's going to happen to those sort of little glances that make all those special arrangements…"

Meanwhile, Strictly legend Ann Widdecombe has told "complaining" stars to "grow up" in a scathing rant on The Jeremy Vine Show.

She said: "I'm sorry, I don't have much patience, for two reasons.

"First of all, everything that you do when you are training is filmed and recorded, and there's usually two people there, both sound and camera, but always at least one."

She went on: "We are actually in control. We can say, 'sorry, I'm worn out, I've had enough, can't do the thing you want me to do'."

Ann hit out at the stars coming forward, adding: "What do we mean, bullied? These are adults, what do we mean bulling? Why didn't they take action?"

She continued: "Amanda says that she had, you know, post-traumatic stress disorder, as if she'd been in a war. It's a dance competition. Grow up everybody, grow up.

"It's pathetic, if they can't say that their professional is treating them in a way, why didn't she simply call a halt and say, 'until you behave better, I am not going on with this, and if you've got a problem, you go and you tell the producers what you're doing'.

"Why didn't she do that?"

However, The Sun revealed contractual agreements may have stopped many more celebs from speaking out.

Times Radio presenter Fi Glover, 55, who worked at the Beeb for 29 years, said: “They sign a contract that means that they show Strictly in a very positive way.

“I think it’s been incredibly difficult for contestants to say things that we now realise they should have been able to say — which is that they were made to feel uncomfortable. And in these cases which are now emerging, there was really nasty physical and verbal abuse going on.”