Ashley Banjo says he still gets social media abuse nearly two years after Diversity BLM dance

Ashley Banjo has revealed he still gets social media abuse "all the time" nearly two years on from Diversity's BLM dance routine.

The dancer and choreographer performed with his group in support of the Black Lives Matter movement for Britain's Got Talent in 2020, but despite the dance going down well with many viewers, it also sparked more than 31,000 complaints to Ofcom.

Read more: Ashley Banjo increased security to protect family after BLM dance

Some viewers who objected to the dance have targeted Banjo more directly, trolling him on social media, and nearly two years on from the performance the Dancing On Ice judge says it is still a regular occurrence.

He told the Mirror: "It happens all the time. I did this slot on Good Morning Britain to talk about how life-changing it was winning a Bafta for the routine and I went on Twitter afterwards, and it was just like a stream of comments. The negative ones always cut through."

The Diversity routine, which featured an image of a white man standing on Banjo's neck in reference to the murder of George Floyd by a US police officer, won must-see TV moment at the 2021 Baftas.

Read more: Ashley Banjo says BGT dance routine caused divisions in his own family

Now, the dance troupe are on tour and are able to perform the much-talked-about routine for crowds of fans for the first time.

The 33-year-old explained that COVID restrictions had stopped large audiences being able to attend their performance and has always wondered how it would go down in person, adding: "To see an audience react to it is a completely different feeling."

However, he admitted the strong reaction to the dance still played on his mind at every performance.

Banjo said: "Every night, I go down and take that knee and there’s a little part of me that just kind of goes, ‘I wonder what’s gonna happen’. You just don’t know."

This year's TV Baftas nominations for must-see moment include Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice's silent Strictly Come Dancing routine.

Watch: Jim Davidson storms out of racism conversation with Ashley Banjo