Craig Revel Horwood tells 'Strictly' pro dancers threatening strike action to 'go and work on Cats'
Craig Revel Horwood has unleashed a broadside at pro dancers on Strictly Come Dancing who threatened strike action over pay.
The outspoken judge has suggested that those who are unhappy with their remuneration should ‘try working on Cats for 200 quid a week instead’.
News emerged in September that there had been grumbling in the ranks over the judges’ pay packets, said to be up to £250,000 each.
The pro dancers, meanwhile, are thought to earn up to £50,000 per series, which had reportedly lead to discussions over strike action and the formation of a union.
“This show puts them in the limelight,” Revel Horwood told The Sun.
“If they are doing what they normally do, which is competitive dance up in Blackpool, there would be 500 people interested. There is 12 million people interested in this show.
“They have all got Twitter accounts and they are all making money on the side doing something else.
“I think, ‘Isn’t that enough?’ Go and do Cats [The Musical] for 200 quid a week and then see how you feel.”
Reports detailed the dissatisfaction among some of the dancers, who work long hours into the evening on their choreography every day of the week in the lead up to Saturday’s show, while the judges merely ‘turn up’ and get paid more for doing so.
“The professionals have been talking among themselves and are going to come together to ask Strictly bosses for a pay rise,” a source told The Sun.
“They put in incredible hours rehearsing both with their celebrities and also group routines. A lot of them are putting in 10 hour days which is a lot of dancing.
“It has been on the cards for a long time and they haven’t had a pay rise in years. They love the show, they just want to feel their money reflects the amount of work they put in and also the celebrity status and profile that comes with it.
“Some of them are now almost better known than the celeb contestants and they feel that should lead to more cash — especially when the judges get paid so much just for turning up once a week. Some feel it’s a bit of a joke.”
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