Graham Norton questions same-sex couples on Strictly: ‘I don’t particularly need to see a man dancing with a man’
The chat show host says the change will "muddy the waters for the judges."
Graham Norton has offered his view on Strictly Come Dancing introducing same-sex couples into its upcoming series.
Put simply: he’s not feeling it.
The host of The Graham Norton Show discussed the change in a new interview with Best.
“As you have people who can be openly gay on that show, I don’t particularly need to see a man dancing with a man,” he said.
“I understand the reason the Strictly bosses might do it is coming from a good place, but it does kind of muddy the waters for the judges.
“If you’ve got two partners who can do lifts and men’s bodies are different shapes, how would that work?
The star added: “I don’t think it’s a homophobic thing. You want to be able to compare like with like.”
Two of Strictly‘s long-serving judges are gay: Bruno Tonioli and Craig Revel Horwood.
Olympic boxer Nicola Adams and professional dancer Katya Jones will make history as the show’s first same-sex couple on this year’s Strictly.
After the announcement, the BBC was forced to defend the pairing after it prompted over 200 complaints.
Nicola’s appearance on the show precedes her speaking out on homophobia and racism in an interview with Women’s Health this week, saying: “Recently, Ella [Nicola’s girlfriend, who has also been subjected to online bullying] and I decided to fight back, because maybe there are people out there who aren’t able to cope with these sorts of messages; people who might find it comforting to know that even though I’m an Olympic champion, people still say horrible things to me.”
The new series of Strictly kicks off on BBC One this autumn.