Ruth Langsford has opened up about her time on Strictly Come Dancing, admitting that “nobody believes me” when she talks about the struggles she faced on the BBC show

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Anton Du Beke and Ruth Langsford on Strictly in 2017(Image: ITV )

Television personality Ruth Langsford has candidly discussed the difficulties she experienced whilst competing on Strictly in 2017 with Anton Du Beke, confessing that “nobody believes me” when she speaks about the real challenges she faced behind-the-scenes of the BBC programme.

Despite experiencing highs and lows on the dance floor, the Loose Women presenter defended the series in an exclusive new chat with Reach plc, acknowledging “it’s always very difficult when a programme is under the microscope”.

When questioned about the controversies that have engulfed Strictly in recent times, including a partially substantiated complaint from Amanda Abbington regarding her 2023 professional dance partner Giovanni Pernice, the ITV host remarked: “I think you can only speak from your own experience, and I had the best experience.

“Everybody on the show that year, you know, seemed to love it. We all got on very well and it’s always very difficult, isn’t it, when a programme is under the microscope.

“I don’t want to comment about the things that have gone on, because I wasn’t there. So all I can say is, I had the best partner in Anton I could ever have had.”

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Ruth Langsford struggled to remember her choreography(Image: Guy Levy/BBC/PA Wire)

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“It was the most wonderful experience, I’m so glad I said yes to it. It was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever done in my life, I thought I’d have been good and I was rubbish!” Ruth explained the primary challenge she encountered was learning the routines that Anton had created for their performances, as she disclosed: “I thought, ‘I’ve got the moves’, but it was so different because I couldn’t remember choreography.”

The former This Morning presenter said her jam-packed timetable didn’t assist matters at the time, as she went on to recollect: “I’d be learning, and learning, and learning, and that would be the start, and then he’d show me the next section and he’d go, ‘right, from the top’ and I couldn’t remember it from the top.

“And Anton will back me up, because nobody believes me, I genuinely can say there was not one Saturday where I 100% knew my dance because I didn’t have enough time.

“I think there are people who maybe aren’t working, or that’s the sole thing they’re doing, but I was doing This Morning and Loose Women, so I never got to rehearsal till half past two in the afternoon, and you’re tired.

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Ruth Langsford defended Strictly after several scandals hit the show

“And Anton and his wife, they’d just had their twins – they were babies, and so yeah, by seven o’clock I was just like, cross-eyed and he said to me, ‘right, you need to go home now’, because when you’re that tired, nothing’s going in.

“I wasn’t that person that did 10-12, hours of rehearsals a day because I couldn’t, and it was fine, and I just accepted that and I did what I could.”

Despite finding the routine challenging to learn, Ruth was quick to emphasise her bond with dance partner Anton Du Beke, who joined the Strictly Come Dancing judging panel in 2021.

She revealed: “I think the best thing was my friendship with Anton, we laughed and laughed, and he was so kind to me. I always want people to know that, Anton’s such a laugh – he’s laugh, laugh, laugh – but he’s the kindest man.

“And there were times… I was always bursting into tears as the show went on, because it gets hard, and everyone’s so good, and then I would feel really rubbish because I would think, ‘I can’t do it’. And he’d go, ‘you’re fine’. I felt like I was letting him down, but he never criticised me, he was just fun.”

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Amanda Abbington accused her dance partner Giovanni Pernice of ‘bullying'(Image: (Image: BBC))

Ruth further explained the foundation of their enduring friendship: “He and I have a very, very similar sense of humour, so we could laugh our way through stuff and he was so kind, and I loved the crew and the team, and I know everybody says that – it sounds like such a cliché – but it’s absolutely true.

“And it’s a phenomenal team – the choreographers, the professional dancers, hair, makeup, costume, everything, the set, the band – it’s just a phenomenal show and I hope it lives on, and on, and on. And I’m sure it will, because the public love it. It only gets better every year, in my opinion.”

Ruth’s remarks follow the BBC’s apology to former contestant Amanda Abbington, in which they acknowledged some of her complaints, including verbal bullying and harassment, against Giovanni Pernice, but absolved the professional dancer of the most severe allegations of physical aggression.

Former Strictly professional Graziano Di Prima was also axed from the show after accusations of misconduct and kicking his partner Zara McDermott during rehearsals, for which he has since expressed regret.