Laura Whitmore has finally spoken out about her time on Strictly Come Dancing, admitting she tried to raise concerns about the show eight years ago but felt "gaslit."

The 39-year-old broadcaster, paired with Giovanni Pernice in 2016, broke her silence after allegations were raised against Giovanni, 33, by actor Amanda Abbington for "bullying" and "aggressive behavior." Giovanni denied this.

Whitmore has since said that she did indeed voice her concerns to executives while taking part, but at the time she was fobbed off. Now, as the industry comes under far greater scrutiny, Whitmore believes more voices are being heard. "The issues I tried to bring up back then are finally being addressed," she told The Irish Times.

It is a memory she now says, looking back, in which she had been gaslit into thinking her concerns were normal. She pointed out that it is difficult to be the first one to speak up due to victim-shaming. On Instagram, she explained her motive for coming out to help others by creating awareness citing the wrong information in the press. She released a statement mentioning that she had been requested by the BBC to come out and share her experiences with six others about a person who had inappropriate behavior; the same person she had problems with back in 2016.

She hoped that her evidence would prevent similar situations from arising in the future. She underlined the fact that her purpose was not to seek redress, but to ensure that such behaviour is recognised for what it is and brought to an end. "Victim blaming must stop if we are to see any improvement," she said.

The BBC has launched an internal investigation into Giovanni after receiving 'a number of complaints'. Amanda Abbington, who danced with Giovanni last year, confirmed she had filed a complaint and later described him as "nasty" and "awful". She revealed that she had been diagnosed with mild PTSD after her time on the show.

Writing for Huffington Post in 2018, Whitmore identified the pressures she had been under when on Strictly—detailing the time she was thrown into the vortex of someone else's breakup and branded a 'rumoured love interest.' She explained how uncomfortable she had felt with her dance partner and how mentally and physically wrecked she had been by the show. Although she tried to keep a happy face in the world, she was shattered by this experience.