Strictly star says he faked scenes on dance show in shock admission

Strictly Come Dancing's new professional dancer Julian Caillon has admitted he once faked a row on TV in a bid to create more drama.

The Australian-born star, who joins the BBC series this autumn, told how he acted up for the cameras to please producers who wanted the fake friction to boost ratings.

Caillon was appearing on the Aussie version of the ballroom show, Dancing With The Stars, when he was paired with a female celebrity with a hectic work schedule, which sometimes made her late for rehearsals.

The 29-year-old dancer and choreographer claims producers cooked up a plan for him to pretend he was angry with her for not being on time - and he went along with it.

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“Reality TV is not necessarily what you think,” he explained afterwards. “A massive aspect of reality TV is not really real. I remember in one episode of Dancing With The Stars, one of my celebrities was late to rehearsals and the producers were asking me to go around and pretend that I was frustrated.

“But she had something pop up and stuff happens sometimes and life gets in the way and we get a little bit late. It's not the biggest deal in the world. We just stay back a bit later. But they made this whole kind of thing out of it.”

But Julian says while he agreed to act annoyed at the time, he would refuse to go through with it if asked now.

“I think during my earlier experiences, whatever I was asked to say or do, I just thought, ‘It’s a privilege for me to be here. I need them to like me. So I'll just say and do whatever needs to be done’," he explained.

Speaking on the podcast Try with Alex, hosted by Australian Survivor contestant Alex Coe, he added: “In a way, it teaches you to know what your values are and what you're willing to do and not do. It made me be confident in my own choices.

“Now, I have clear boundaries and lines where I know, ‘This is what I'm willing to do. If they ask me to say this, I'm just gonna say no’."

Julian, who is also a former athlete and personal trainer, joined Dancing with the Stars Down Under in 2020 and stayed for three seasons, with his partners including Gogglebox Australia star Angie Kent and model Erin McNaught. For all three appearances, he and his partner were the second couple to be eliminated.

The dancer is one of two new pros lining up alongside the Strictly regulars, who include Johannes Radebe, Katya Jones and Nikita Kuzmin. The other one is American-born Alexis Warr - a former winner of US series So You Think You Can Dance.

She has told how she has a backstage ritual before every routine as she thinks it will bring her good luck. “I wipe the bottom of my shoe before I go on and then rub my hands,” she said. “I don’t know why. I just feel more grounded that way. And I always say a prayer before I go on. And if I am with my partner we will always take deep breaths together.”

This year’s Strictly is expected to launch on September 20.

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