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Showbiz
Liam O'Dell
Feb 08, 2023
Strictly Come Dancing's James Bye and Amy Dowden dance to 'Bumble Bee'
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It was only two months ago that wildlife presenter Hamza Yassin lifted up the glitterball trophy as winner of last year’s Strictly Come Dancing, but now attention is already turning towards who might take to the dancefloor this year, with a rumour the hit BBC competition has signed up its first celebrity contestant who is a wheelchair user.
According to the Daily Mail, a BBC source said it has been an “extremely challenging project” for those behind the contest, but they believe it will be “worth it” and be “absolutely brilliant”.
They added: “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 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.”
Of course, if the rumours are true, then it wouldn’t be the first time a disabled person has had a go at taking on Strictly.
EastEnders actress Rose Ayling-Ellis, who is Deaf, won the competition with partner Giovanni Pernice in 2021, while Paralympian Ellie Simmonds put on her dancing shoes last year.
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Before that, in 2018, the professional dancers from Strictly performed a routine to David Bowie’s 'Life on Mars' alongside the dance company Candoco – which is made up of both disabled and non-disabled artists.
So disabled talent has graced the show before, but that hasn’t stopped some individuals from posting “horribly ableist” comments in response to the rumours, with one describing the possible plans as “beyond ridiculous” and another writing the dancer competing against non-disabled people “can’t work” and “isn’t fair on anyone”.
“There is a reason there is a separate Paralympics,” they fumed.
Fortunately, disability activists and organisations were quick to explain why the rumour – if true – is pretty exciting:
\u201cIt\u2019s been announced that @bbcstrictly are going to have a wheelchair user this year. I\u2019ve just sat, honestly close to tears, as I\u2019ve scrolled through the ableist comments about how wheelchair users are not welcome on the programme but also in general society.\u201d— Kate Stanforth (@Kate Stanforth) 1675770263
\u201cTo all the #Ableist Gammons Commenting:\n\nA Wheelchair User has the same right as anyone else to take part in a made-up dance show.\n\nTo those cynically questioning \u2018How it will work\u2019:\n\nThe show will adapt, just as any aspect of society should.\n\n#Strictly #Inclusion #Wheelchair\u201d— JJ Chalmers (@JJ Chalmers) 1675799973
\u201cMassive yes to @bbcstrictly featuring a wheelchair user in the 2023 cast! \n\nThis has made us majorly excited for this year's competition already.\n\nYeah, we know it's only February. No, we're not sorry. #Strictly\nhttps://t.co/Ym4EBOOens\u201d— Sense (@Sense) 1675789221
\u201cThis is why I won\u2019t believe the \u201cannouncement\u201d til I see it. Because the public reacts this way when it\u2019s just mentioned that strictly are LOOKING to cast a wheelchair using celeb. Absolutely vile. Disabled people don\u2019t need to prove our worth to you.\u201d— Rachel Charlton-Dailey (@Rachel Charlton-Dailey) 1675807185
\u201cThis is amazing\u2026but I tell you what I can do without, the ableist comments which are popping up already of people saying they\u2019re not sure \u2018how it would work\u2019 \ud83d\ude11\ud83e\udd26\ud83c\udffb\u200d\u2640\ufe0f. Wheelchair users can be phenomenal dancers, and that is that. \n\nhttps://t.co/BauGmtyDj9\u201d— Rosie Jones (@Rosie Jones) 1675777118
\u201cThis is amazing\u2026but I tell you what I can do without, the ableist comments which are popping up already of people saying they\u2019re not sure \u2018how it would work\u2019 \ud83d\ude11\ud83e\udd26\ud83c\udffb\u200d\u2640\ufe0f. Wheelchair users can be phenomenal dancers, and that is that. \n\nhttps://t.co/BauGmtyDj9\u201d— Rosie Jones (@Rosie Jones) 1675777118
\u201cThe people currently imploding at the news Strictly is going to feature a wheelchair user don\u2019t give a shit about dancing - they just don\u2019t want to see disabled people doing it. \n\nDisabled people get to dance, fuck, laugh, and sing. We are deeply sorry disabled joy triggers you.\u201d— Frances Ryan (@Frances Ryan) 1675782206
\u201c@KateStanforth @bbcstrictly It was done on the Swedish version of the show with huge success and was fabulous - dancing is for EVERYONE https://t.co/sMQ2GXIqFf\u201d— Kate Stanforth (@Kate Stanforth) 1675770263
In her thread commenting on the reports, Guardian columnist Frances Ryan wrote: “It’s a minor point but the number of people saying ‘the lifts are going to be hard’ makes me worry about Britain’s education system. These people genuinely think wheelchair users are ‘bound’ to the chair.
“Pretty sure the pro will lift the celeb, not them and their bloody wheels.”
The term “wheelchair-bound” is widely considered to be offensive by disabled people, who see their wheelchairs as “freedom”, rather than something limiting.
Though in the off-chance we haven’t said it enough in this piece already: it’s a rumour at this stage based on a source close to the show, though the BBC did decline to comment when the Mail approached them about it.
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