TV legend Fern Britton has opened up about her distressing experience during her stint on Strictly Come Dancing, alleging that she was treated poorly by her dance partner Artem Chigvintsev. The 67-year-old, who has reportedly lived in Padstow since 2020, participated in the popular BBC dance show in 2012 and was paired with the Russian dancer.
They were voted off in week five of the competition. Fern, who lives in Cornwall, has now revealed more about her ordeal, stating that she would often cry before rehearsals.
As reported by the Mirror, she had previously discussed her experience in interviews, but has now shared further details in her new book “The Older I Get”, which is set to be released on November 7. According to the Amazon description, Fern “candidly shares her experiences of grief and loss, rebuilding confidence and exploring new passions, as well as the importance of finding friends you can put the world to rights with over a couple of Cosmos.”
The Daily Mail is currently serialising the book, and reports that Fern found her rehearsals with Artem “challenging”. She wrote: “I found it increasingly hard to gather up my self-confidence and there were days I was crying before I even got into the rehearsal room.”
Fern also claimed that she tried everything to please her dance partner, but felt that nothing seemed to work. In her book, she also alleges that Artem was not pleased when they were paired together.
She wrote: “I asked him if he was OK with having me as a partner and he said, ‘Well, I am used to someone with some dance ability, and younger.’
“My confidence took a hit at that, but I laughed and told him I didn’t feel 55, and that, when I had a drink in me, I was a sensational dancer. He did not laugh.”
She then went on to make another claim about an incident after a rehearsal, writing: “Late one evening, when I simply couldn’t get the steps in my head and we were both tired, he looked at me and said: ‘Go home before I kill you.’ It was a joke. I laughed. ‘Kill me, please’.”
Fern co-presented Breakfast Time in the 1980s, hosted cookery game show Ready Steady Cook between 1994 and 2000, and presented ITV’s This Morning from 1999 to 2009. Artem appeared on Strictly as a professional dancer from 2010 to 2013 and then joined the US version of the talent show, Dancing with the Stars. Earlier this year, Fern spoke to The Times about her time on Strictly.
She said: “[He would say] ‘You just stand there and don’t move, I dance round you.’ He was like, ‘Shut your face. Go home before I kill you.’ I would say, ‘Oh please just kill me, it would be easier.’ Or what was his other one? If you go for a cup of tea now, I will blow off like an atomic bomb.’ I thought, well I won’t correct him on that one.”
In response to the claims, Artem told the Daily Express: “I believe I treated Fern with respect and genuine care and these claims about me are the opposite of everything I believe in and the person I am. I cannot imagine what has prompted such statements which come as a shock to me.”
The Mirror has contacted the BBC and Artem Chigvintsev’s representatives for comment.