Former Strictly Come Dancing professional James Jordan compared the three unvaccinated professionals to the people who ‘superglued themselves to the M25’ in a heated debate.
The 43-year-old appeared on GB News where he defended this year’s celebrity line-up amid reports some of the stars are furious to have been partnered up with unvaccinated dancers.
James demanded Strictly cast are open about their vaccination status, and was asked if he believed the same would be said about a STI status, as if sexual diseases could be spread through dancing.
Stressing he is totally behind stars ‘being angry’ at their unjabbed professional partners, he said: ‘For me I put the anti-vaxxers in the same category of people who supergluing themselves to the M25, exactly the same category.
‘In fact it’s probably the same people.’
He continued: ‘I’m a professional dancer, if I was to contract coronavirus I’m quite healthy, I haven’t got any illnesses in the family apart from my dad having a brain tumour last year, I think I’m pretty sure I would be able to fight it.
‘I didn’t get vaccinated for myself I got vaccinated for the greater good.’
However, on a totally different page, presenter Beverley Turner totally backed the stars’ right to train with their celebrity partner for eight hours a day and jeopardise their place in the contest by refusing to get the jab.
’This was always a virus which affects predominately the elderly and the unwell, and we’ve done a really good job of protecting those people,’ she said.
‘What we’re clearly seeing here and in Israel, where you can see there are more vaccinated people in hospital than unvaccinated, isn’t actually stopping people catching it and so I would absolutely defend the right of those fit, young athletes, who as you say like you could probably fight it off, to not take the risk from the vaccine because the vaccines themselves are not risk free.’
She went on to claim ‘we’re now seeing young are worst being affected by the vaccine’ and said the unvaccinated stars were great role models for teenagers being offered the jab.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson even waded into the row this week, urging the unnamed dancers to get their jab as soon as possible.
A spokesperson for Strictly told Metro.co.uk: ‘We do not comment on speculation of somebody’s Covid vaccination status.
‘Strictly Come Dancing production has, and will, continue to follow strict government guidelines to ensure the safety of all on the show.’
Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One on Saturday at 7pm.
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