A crippled ballerina and inclusive dance school owner has responded to reports that Strictly Come Dancing executives are trying to sign up a star wheelchair user for the 2019 series.
The BBC One competition, which saw Hamza Yassin and Jowita Pryzstal win the glitterball trophy this year, is apparently looking for a wheelchair-user.
This comes after Rose Ayling-Ellis made history as the program’s first deaf competitor, winning the 2021 series with Giovanni Pernice, while paralympian Ellie Simmonds had tremendous success with Nikita Kuzmin during her spell on the show last season.
A source revealed earlier this week: ‘This is an extremely challenging project but one that Strictly bosses think is worth it and believe it is going to be absolutely brilliant.
‘It is yet another example of how progressive and inclusive the programme is. As well as creating some wonderful television moments, it will also give an amazing opportunity to someone in a wheelchair.’
The insider continued to MailOnline: ‘The original plan was that it would happen last year but the logistics are very difficult and to get a professional dancer trained and ready to take this on meant more work than was originally anticipated, so the most sensible thing to do was to put it off for a year.
‘There is so much excitement about this at the BBC right now.’
Trolls spreading ableist comments have fueled the rumours.
Kate Stanforth, a wheelchair-bound ballerina, has responded to the cruel comments, stating she has been ‘near to tears’.
She took to Twitter to share an inspirational picture alongside an abusive comment, which read that viewers will ‘stop watching’ if Strictly includes wheelchair users.
Kate captioned the image: ‘It’s been announced that @bbcstrictly are going to have a wheelchair user this year.
‘I’ve just sat, honestly close to tears, as I’ve scrolled through the ableist comments about how wheelchair users are not welcome on the programme but also in general society.’
She continued: ‘Just a note from me, if you’re in a wheelchair, you can f’kin dance. You’re just as worthy as anyone else to do whatever you want to do and I’m honestly so sorry society makes us feel bad this little sometimes.’
Kate went on to say that her dance academy will be offering ‘Strictly inspired courses for anybody who wants to dance during the Strictly season,’ and she subsequently released an extraordinary video of one of her non-disabled dancers taking a session with a disability teacher.
‘It proves so much in one short video,’ she wrote.