A special Strictly performance in 2018 featured a wheelchair user (Picture: BBC/YouTube)
A disabled ballerina and inclusive dance school owner has hit out against backlash over rumours that Strictly Come Dancing bosses are looking to sign-up a celebrity wheelchair user for the upcoming series.
The BBC One competition, which this year saw Hamza Yassin and Jowita Pryzstal lift the glitterball trophy, is reportedly casting a wheelchair-user.
This comes after Rose Ayling-Ellis made history as the show’s first ever deaf contestant, winning the 2021 series with Giovanni Pernice, while paralympian Ellie Simmonds scored great success during her stint on the show last season with Nikita Kuzmin.
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.
Rose and Giovanni made history on Strictly in 2021 (Picture: BBC/Guy Levy)
Paralympian Ellie took to the dance floor with Nikita last year (Picture: David Fisher/Shutterstock)
‘There is so much excitement about this at the BBC right now.’
But, the rumours have been hit by trolls sharing ableist comments.
Kate Stanforth, a ballerina who uses a wheelchair, has hit back at the abusive comments, saying she’s been ‘close 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.’
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Kate went on to talk about how her dance academy will be doing ‘Strictly inspired classes for anyone who wants to dance throughout Strictly season,’ and later shared an incredible video showing one of her non-disabled dancers attending a class with a disabled teacher.
‘It proves so much in one short video,’ she wrote.
BBC declined to comment when approached by Metro.co.uk.
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Kate was left ‘close to tears’ over the ableist comments.
