Matt Baker says no-one's Strictly experience was more intense than his (2024)

Matt Baker has insisted his Strictly Come Dancing experience was a lot 'more intense' than other celebrities who have appeared in the competition.

The TV presenter, 46, made it to the final on the scandal-hit BBC series in 2010 with Russian pro dancerAliona Vilani, but came second.

Despite his success on the dancing show, Matt admitted he hasn't stayed in touch with anyone from his cohort.

His confession comes after Aliona admitted to forcing Matt to dance through sickness during his time on the show.

While turning up for rehearsals and appearing on the live show every weekend, Matt was juggling The One Show and Countryfile at the same time.

He admitted his stint on the show came at a 'busy time' for him which made his experience 'more intense'.

Matt told the Metro: 'I don’t think anybody in the history of Strictly has had a more intense experience than me when you look at all of the work I was doing at the same time.'

During his experience, it was reported at the time that during one rehearsal for their Viennese Waltz Aliona spun Matt so much he struggled with sickness and dizziness.

Talking about what happened, Aliona previously said: 'The first couple of days Matt had trouble with dizziness.

'He was getting quite sick but we don't have too many hours of practice so I had to crack the whip and be tough and in the end he got over it.'

Matt then added: 'Just thinking about it, I'm feeling sick. There's a lot of twirling and the whole room is constantly moving, even when we stop.'

Representatives for Matt and Aliona were contacted by MailOnline for comment.

BBC bosses are reportedly racing to finish the Giovanni Pernicemisconduct investigation before the new series of Strictly Come Dancing starts in just two weeks.

The professional dancer, 33, was paired with Sherlock actress Amanda Abbingtonfor the long-running BBCshow's 21st series in 2023, but she abruptly withdrew just five weeks into the competition.

Giovanni has since been suspended while a BBC probe is conducted over claims of off-camera misconduct made by Abbington, 50, and two other former celebrity dance partners. Giovanni has denied the allegations.

And now it is reportedly a race against time to get the probe done and dusted ahead of the first Strictly show on September 14, claims The Sun.

They report that all the evidence has been reviewed and that we could be days away from an announcement.

A source told the publication: 'The BBC is under huge pressure to get this probe done and dusted before September 14 when the new series kicks off.

'It's a ticking time bomb to get it done in time while not leaving any stone unturned. All evidence has been reviewed, and it is looking like we are now days away from an announcement.

'Clearly the BBC are desperate to draw a line under all this and move on. But whatever the verdict it is clear there will be more ­questions for the corporation to answer and potentially even more historical complaints.'

The newspaper also claims that contestants and BBC employees have set up a WhatsApp group ahead of the announcement and that others could come out with other experiences after the findings are released.

MailOnline has contacted the BBC for comment.

Giovanni has denied the allegations.

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