Kym Marsh says she has 'fond memories' of Strictly

Kym Marsh has said she has "fond memories" of her time on Strictly Come Dancing and indicated she was surprised by allegations about her former dance partner Graziano Di Prima.

Speaking to The Sun, the actress cautioned she did not want to comment on any other contestant's experience.

But she added: "I didn't have any experiences like we've heard."

Di Prima will not be returning to this year's series, after claims about his behaviour in the Strictly training room.

His 2023 dance partner, Zara McDermott, has said she was involved in incidents in rehearsals which she now finds "incredibly distressing" to watch back.

Di Prima's spokesman later admitted to BBC News that he had kicked McDermott once in a rehearsal last year.

The dancer told the Daily Mail at the weekend that he "wasn't meaning to kick her" and insisted he is "not an abusive man".

Marsh was partnered with Di Prima in the 2022 series of the dance contest.

When quizzed about her time on the show, Marsh said: “I’m reluctant to talk too much about someone else’s experience. I had one of the best times of my life doing that show and it was amazing.

"I didn’t have any experiences like we’ve heard. It definitely, definitely did not represent what I had experienced, no.”

The actress, who is currently starring in the stage musical 101 Dalmatians, was asked if she was surprised to hear the allegations levelled at Di Prima, to which she responded: “Yeah.”

She added: “I’ll always have tremendously fond memories.”

Strictly - with its bright lights, sparkles and sequins - has been running for 20 years.

The new series is due to start in a matter of weeks, with Sam Quek, Nick Knowles and Paul Merson among the celebrity line-up.

But recently, the show has been caught up in controversy.

A number of former celebrity contestants - including McDermott, Amanda Abbington and Laura Whitmore - have made allegations about the way they were treated on the series.

Paralympian Will Bayley has also spoken out about his experiences. He was injured after he says he felt pressured into doing a jump.

Last week, a BBC News investigation heard allegations of a "toxic culture" from some former junior staff on the show, although other workers told a positive story of dancers and crew who were kind and respectful to them.

The BBC has said it will introduce measures to "strengthen welfare and support" on the show, including a chaperone who will be present "at all times" during training room rehearsals.

It has also said it doesn't recognise the claims from production staff, nor will "hundreds of production personnel" who have worked across the two decades the show has been on air.

BBC News has approached Marsh and Di Prima's representatives for comment.