Arlene Phillips has said BBC viewers and producers need to ‘turn down the pressure’ on Strictly Come Dancing as she gave her thoughts on the recent scandals.

The legendary dancer and choreographer, 81, was one of Strictly’s original judges and spent four years on the panel, alongside Craig Revel Horwood, Bruno Tonioli and Len Goodman.

Last year the hit family show found itself deep in a sea of allegations against professional dancers after Amanda Abbington accused partner Giovanni Pernice of bullying.

Giovanni was cleared of the majority of the bullying allegations against him in the recent BBC probe and is reportedly set to make a return.

Weighing in on the scandal, Arlene said she ‘hopes people get joy’ from the dancing show, which is currently celebrating its 20th series, so it will ‘run forever’.

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Arlene Philips has said BBC viewers and producers need to ‘turn down the pressure’ on Strictly Come Dancing as she opened up about the recent scandals

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Last year the hit family show found itself deep in a sea of allegations against professional dancers after Amanda Abbington accused partner Giovanni Pernice of bullying

Speaking to MailOnline on the red carpet at the Pride of Britain Awards, Arlene discussed the recent bullying scandals and said that she believes it will ‘never be fully behind them’.

She said: ‘I never think that it is behind them, nobody knows what will happen in the future but I hope that people get joy out of the show because it has got so huge.

‘There is so much riding on the professionals because they can now have a life changing career in other ways away from Strictly.

‘So turn down the pressure, bring back the love and the joy and Strictly will run forever.’

MailOnline have reached out to Strictly Come Dancing representatives for comment.

It comes as Italian dancer Giovanni, 34, will feature in a special episode celebrating the show’s 20th anniversary, which will take a look back at ‘iconic performances and familiar faces past and present’.

Giovanni is likely to be seen in the episode, which airs in December, alongside his former dance partner Rose Ayling-Ellis, 29, who made history as the first deaf contestant to win the coveted glitterball trophy.

A source told The Sun: ‘Giovanni made history when he won with Rose so footage from their emotional silent performance is set to feature.’

There’s also speculation that Giovanni could make an appearance in person on the show, though the BBC have yet to confirm this.

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Arlene said she ‘hopes people get joy’ from the dancing show, which is currently celebrating its 20th series, so it will ‘run forever’

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View gallery

Speaking to MailOnline on the red carpet at the Pride of Britain Awards, Arlene discussed the recent bullying scandals and said that she believes it will ‘never be fully behind them’

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View gallery

The legendary dancer and choreographer, 81, was one of Strictly’s original judges and spent four years on the panel, alongside Bruno Tonioli, Len Goodman, Craig Revel Horwood

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It comes as Giovanni Pernice is reportedly set to make a return to Strictly after being cleared of the majority of bullying allegations against him; pictured with Amanda Abbington last year

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Graziano Di Prima [pictured] will apparently not be making an appearance after he was fired from the show for kicking celebrity partner Zara McDermott last year

Graziano Di Prima will apparently not be making an appearance after he was fired from the show for kicking celebrity partner Zara McDermott last year.

Addressing his exit from the show, a ‘devastated’ Graziano wrote on Instagram: ‘I deeply regret the events that led to my departure from Strictly. My intense passion and determination to win might have affected my training regime.

‘While respecting the BBC HR process, I acknowledge it’s only right for the sake of the show that I step away. I am saddened that I wasn’t allowed to offer a quote to the online news stories, and I take on board the sensitivity of the situation.

‘There’s more to this story that I am unable to discuss at this time, but I am committed to being strong for my family and friends. I wish the Strictly family nothing but success in the future.’

MailOnline contacted representatives of Strictly for comment, who stated: ‘Editorial decisions about what the final show will include haven’t been finalised yet.’

Professional dancer Giovanni left the BBC’s Strictly in May after his former celebrity partner Amanda Abbington complained about his behaviour.

The BBC cleared the Sicilian of ten out of 16 allegations when its probe concluded in September.

Six of the claims were upheld, some included bullying and harassment, which prompted an apology from BBC bosses.

The BBC also agreed with Amanda that at times he appeared to be giving her overly negative feedback.

Amanda quit the show abruptly in just week five of last year’s series, citing personal reasons, before going on to accuse the dancer of ‘mean’ and ‘cruel’ behaviour.