Janette Manrara has hit back at the controversy surrounding her and her previous Strictly partner Will Bayley. 

The Paralympian claimed back in July that he obtained a lifelong injury after Janette made him redo a jump during his time on the show in 2019.

However, Janette has now insisted the pair are still ‘great friends’ as she described their partnership as an ‘amazing team’.

It comes as the Strictly scandal also hit closer to home for Janette this week as her husband Aljaž Škorjanec’s return to the BBC show has been marred by controversy as the cast and crew are reportedly furious he’s back following his alleged backstage row with a female pro.

Speaking in an interview with Closer Magazine about her and Will’s partnership, the star admitted: ‘It was hard for both of us to have to leave the competition in the way that we did.

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Janette Manrara has hit back at Will Bayley’s claims he made him redo a jump that caused a lifelong injury as she spoke out on Strictly scandal amid Aljaz furore this week

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The Paralympian claimed back in July that he obtained a lifelong injury after Janette made him redo a jump during his time on the show in 2019

‘Nobody wants to have to leave the competition with an injury, especially when we were doing so well. So of course, he felt frustration, and there were massive repercussions that he had from everything that happened on Strictly.’

Insisting the pair still have an amicable relationship she added: ‘We are still great friends.  When all that came out we spoke directly to each other. We know in our hearts that we were an amazing team and had an incredible time together.’

Will, who was born with arthrogryposis which limits the range of motion in the joints of his limbs, was left with excruciating knee pain after competing on the series.

A resurfaced clip aired during that year’s live shows has shown the devastating moment Will was curled up on the floor in pain after the jump.

The video heard Tess explaining that Will had been injured and would not be dancing that week, as it cut to the sportsman lying on the floor in agony with a medic crouched down helping with first aid.

At the time of Will’s claims back in July a representative for Janette told the BBC: ‘Janette had a great time dancing with Will and one of her favourite moments on the show was doing their contemporary couples choice.

‘Her celebrity partner’s safety and enjoyment was always the priority throughout her time on Strictly.

‘Janette has never received any complaints and has maintained friendships with all her partners, including Will.’

Elsewhere in her recent interview Janette also spoke out about the Strictly scandal as the show prepares to celebrate its 20th anniversary for the upcoming series.

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However, Janette has now insisted the pair are still ‘great friends’ as she described their partnership as an ‘amazing team’

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Will, who was born with arthrogryposis which limits the range of motion in the joints of his limbs, was left with excruciating knee pain after competing on the series

The BBC flagship show has been plagued for months by allegations of ‘bullying’ and abuse by former professionals Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima to their celebrity partners Amanda Abbington and Zara McDermott.

Janette explained that in light of the anniversary the show needs to firmly close the scandalous chapter.

The dancer made it clear that the allegations surrounding Giovanni and Graziano do not represent all that Strictly stands for and the joy it has brought over the years.

Meanwhile Aljaž’s alleged altercation with a female dancer has divided the Strictly Come Dancing pros as it appears the incident has been ‘brushed under the carpet’.

And with the countdown on for the programme’s glitzy launch this month, there appears to be unrest among the dancers as Aljaž’s drama was brushed aside because it reportedly occurred on tour away from the main show.

With the tour seen as separate from the main programme, there appears to be the mentality of: ‘what happens on tour, stays on tour’, according to The Sun, which is said to have left his furious fellow pros ‘totally gutted’.

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It comes as the Strictly scandal also hit closer to home for Janette this week as her husband Aljaž Škorjanec’s return to the BBC show has been marred by controversy following his alleged backstage row with a female pro (pictured with their daughter Lyra)

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The BBC flagship show has been plagued for months by allegations of ‘bullying’ and abuse by former professionals Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima to their celebrity partners Amanda Abbington and Zara McDermott

A source told the publication: ‘Those who raised concerns at the time had been angry Aljaž was brought back for this year’s series, so felt vindicated when the incident was finally exposed. So they’ve been totally gutted it seems to have been totally swept under the carpet again.

‘The feeling backstage very much seems to be ‘what happens on tour, stays on tour’. People are saying because the tour is run by BBC Studios it’s not the same as bad behaviour on the show.’

The insider continued: ‘It felt bonkers enough that the BBC had replaced under-fire Giovanni Pernice with Aljaž, who left under a cloud. But the cast and crew invested in this cannot believe the attitude is essentially that unless it happened on the main show, nobody cares.’

However, the BBC has said that they do not ‘recognise’ the claims against Aljaz, while Subsidiary BBC Studios declined to comment.

MailOnline have contacted representatives of Aljaž for comment. Strictly representatives declined to comment.