Ricky Whittle has slammed ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ as “manipulative”.

The former ‘Hollyoaks’ star – who competed on the BBC One celebrity talent show last year – claims bosses cleverly edited the show to make it look like he was having an affair with dance partner Natalie Lowe.

He also believes the show’s production team secretly fed news stories to the press to keep fans interested in the series.

Ricky explained: “We were there to be ‘the affair’ and leave pretty quickly, but our routines were too good. They never expected me to reach the final. You get there and they tell you not to worry about a thing, not to worry about reports in the press, but then they manipulate it all themselves.

“One time they made it appear as if I was discussing my love for Natalie. It just cut to me saying, ‘She’s the whole package’. That was totally out of context. It was as a teacher and dancer that I was describing her as the whole package.”

Ricky – who is now training for the ‘Strictly’ UK tour – has also complained he went out for a meal with Natalie and her parents after a long day of rehearsals, and it was branded a “romantic” night out.

He added to the Daily Star newspaper: “The reports described it as a romantic meal. They all mentioned my quote from the show. It was all so nicely designed. It’s totally rigged, but at least I came out well.”

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Strictly Come Dancing runner up Ricky Whittle has admitted that he would like to star in a remake of Dirty Dancing.

“Why couldn’t I do Dirty Dancing?” he told The Mirror. “Patrick Swayze has sadly passed and Antonio Banderas and John Travolta are getting on a bit – I always wanted an action film role, now I can dance!”

Ricky also revealed more about his plans to move to America and try to make a career in Hollywood.

“I could stay on Hollyoaks forever because it’s a great family up there, but you do have ambitions in life,” he said. “And for me, I’d love to go to the States. I’ve got a few things lined up. I’m not saying it’s going to happen, I’m not saying I’m going to be able to pull it off, because everyone says, ‘I’m going to the States, I’m going to make it big in the movies’.

“I’m not saying that, I’m saying I’d like to try – and if I fail, at least I’ve tried. I think you need to chase your dreams, and if it comes off, fantastic.”

View the original post Ricky Whittle wants to try a bit of Dirty Dancing on Unreality TV

Hollyoaks actor Ricky Whittle has admitted that he would love to see this year’s Strictly Come Dancing voting results.

The star, who came second on last weekend’s final of the show, called for BBC show to release the figures in a similar fashion to The X Factor.

“They never tell us and I don’t think they ever will, which is a bit of a shame,” The Guardian quotes him as saying.

“At the end of the day it’s a public channel. X Factor came out with all the stats and it would be nice to see how the voting was going to see what people were doing right and wrong.”

A BBC spokesman said: “We never reveal exact figures from our shows as we have a relationship of trust with our contestants and it would be unfair to disclose the exact nature of difference in their popularity.”

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Hollyoaks actor Ricky Whittle is reportedly devastated, after finding out that BBC bosses did not want him on the Strictly Come Dancing tour.

Ricky made it to the show’s final last weekend, losing out at the final hurdle to TV presenter Chris Hollins.

Inferior dancers like Natalie Cassidy, Ricky Groves and Chris Hollins have already been signed for the tour but poor old Ricky has been left out in the cold.

He told The Sun:

“I wasn’t asked. I would have snapped someone’s arm off to go on tour.”

“I asked someone about it but they never got back to me. It is a shame because I think we came up with routines to really entertain the audiences.”

He added: “They talked about Chris being an entertainer but surely if you’re spinning a girl above your head, would you not find that entertaining?

“Why are we not entertaining? Because we’re not pulling faces?”

“I’ve got no idea why I wasn’t asked. I’d like to know who the boss is because I’d have thought you’d want people who are entertaining.

“They asked Chris early doors – maybe they knew he was winning?”

View the original post Ricky Whittle won’t be on Strictly Come Dancing tour on Unreality TV

Strictly Come Dancing runner up, Ricky Whittle, has revealed that he has been suffering from a secret hernia since he started on the dance show, but didn’t tell BBC bosses in case they made him withdraw.

Ricky told The News Of The World:

“I had to keep it a secret. If they had known the BBC could have pulled me out on medical grounds. And I didn’t want the viewers to find out because I’d hate to think I was getting sympathy votes.”

He added: “I had to lie to Natalie too which I’m not proud of but I really wanted to be on Strictly and I know she would have made me stop.

“The only people who knew the truth were my GP and my ex-girlfriend Carley Stenson.

“She kept trying to get me to stop dancing but I was determined to do my best and not fail.

“Every week I was terrified I would collapse on stage and be rushed to hospital. The pain was horrendous but it was my dream to go on the show and I wasn’t going to let an injury stop me.”

Ricky admitted that he will need surgery on the tennis ball sized lump now that the show is over.

He said:

“I’ve watched every series and it was my dream to do the show.

“My doctor told me I needed an operation and I would be laid up for a month. That wasn’t an option.

“He told me to take it easy, not to lift anything heavy and not to do any new exercise I wasn’t used to.

“It was the lifting that he said would make the show very difficult. He warned that I could be rushed off for emergency treatment at any time. When I saw the BBC doctor to get on Strictly I just didn’t mention it.

“There is a lump that protrudes that I push back into my body and I did that before the examination.

“I got passed medically on to the show but it has been pretty difficult right through the competition.

“The pain has got worse and worse and the lump has got bigger. It really hurt every time I lifted Natalie, did a lunge or jumped down from the steps onto the stage. Sometimes Natalie would ask if I was in pain because I kept touching my groin. I would lie and just say I had pulled something.

View the original post Strictly Come Dancing: Ricky Whittle danced through hernia pain on Unreality TV

Arlene Phillips has revealed that she thinks tonight’s Strictly Come Dancing final will be the best we’ve ever seen.

The former judge on the BBC’s dance show said it was ‘anybody’s guess’ whether Chris Hollins or Ricky Whittle would walk away with the glitter ball trophy.

“It couldn’t be a greater final,” she told The Mirror. “You have got two really, really strong dancers – one is technically brilliant, but emotionally, does he deliver? And the other one is delivering every ounce of his little heart.

“What better final could we have? It’s anybody’s guess and that’s what we want in a final.”

Who are you backing to win tonight’s show? Leave your comments below.

View the original post Arlene Phillips ‘There couldn’t be a better Strictly Come Dancing final’ on Unreality TV

In a bid to win more viewers votes, professional dancers Ola Jordan and Natalie Lowe are planning to bare a lot of flesh on tonight’s Strictly Come Dancing final.

Ola, partnered with Chris Hollins is famed for her sexy catsuit and Natalie, dancing with Ricky Whittle, almost had a Janet Jackson moment earlier in the series before Ricky covered her up and saved her dignity.

Ricky told The Sun:

“Natalie might not be wearing much, so that should sort out our votes. It’s going to be Ola versus Natalie in a flesh-off.

“Gravity and a little outfit equals spillage.

“My arm came in handy. We saved the show from a Janet Jackson moment.”

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Strictly Come Dancing competitor Ricky Whittle finished in the bottom two for the second week running on Saturday night and insiders believe that the public are punishing him for his recent arrest.

Ricky was arrested after he allegedly hit a photographer with his car last week. The Hollyoaks actor had been tipped for the final from week one of the dance show, but since the incident has found himself in the bottom two twice.

A source told The Sun: “Ricky was seen as one of the favourites to win the show before the incident occurred and then suddenly he was in the bottom two.

“Now this week, despite impressing the judges he was again voted into the bottom two. We are convinced it is because of what happened.

“Strictly viewers are a bit older and more conservative in their views and don’t take lightly to what happened.”

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Ricky Whittle has admitted that despite spending most of yesterday in a police station, he will be completely focused on tonight’s Strictly Come Dancing performance. Ricky was arrested yesterday morning after allegedly running his car into a member of the paparazzi.

The Hollyoaks star wrote on his Twitter page:

He wrote: “Long day, I’m in London ready to give my 100% to the show I love. Just want to say thank you to everyone for all their support. WILL speak soon.”

View the original post Ricky Whittle to give 100% to tonight’s Strictly Come Dancing on Unreality TV

Sources have suggested that Strictly Come Dancing competitor Ricky Whittle, has been arrested on suspicion of assault.

It is believed Whittle’s Dodge Ram pick-up truck may have collided with a photographer named Steve Farrel, 34, outside Liverpool’s Parr Street studios on the early hours of Friday morning, as he attempted to drive home from Zoe Lister’s leaving party

A Merseyside police spokesperson confirmed: “A 29-year-old man from Billinge, Lancashire, has been arrested on suspicion of assault.

“He remains in custody where he will be questioned by officers later today (FRIDAY).

“The arrest follows an incident in which took place in Duke Street, Liverpool City Centre, in the early hours of Friday morning.

“The incident involved a collision with a male pedestrian.”

View the original post Strictly Come Dancing: Ricky Whittle arrested? on Unreality TV