Piers Morgan wants to dance with Alan Sugar on Strictly
Morgan has repeatedly verbally attacked genderfluid and non-binary people (ITV)
Good Morning Britain co-host Piers Morgan has said he’d like to see same-sex couples take part on Strictly Come Dancing—and that he wants to perform with billionaire businessman Alan Sugar.
The Good Morning Britain panel discussed on Monday whether celebrities should be able to dance with same-sex partners on Strictly, which kicked off on Saturday night.
It comes after it was revealed last week that professional dancers will perform in same-sex routines on the current series of the show.
Morgan has said he’d like to dance with Alan Sugar on Strictly. (Danny Martindale/Getty)
However, producers have confirmed that none of the celebrities on Season 16 of the show will be paired up with a same-sex dancing partner—despite head judge Shirley Ballas backing this format in May.
Asking viewers whether same-sex celebrity couples should introduced on Strictly, Morgan said: “Are you offended by that, or are you, as I am, excited by that? I’m excited by this.”
He added: “I think if they bring in same-sex dancing on Strictly, I’m gonna enter it with Lord Sugar as my dance partner.Yeah, I mean the height thing would be an issue…but other than that, I think we could storm it.”
However, Morgan said that he believed same-sex dancers on the show should be gay.
“I think it would only work if they were both gay. I tell you why, you’ve got to have a little sexual frisson. And if you know that one is straight and one is gay that doesn’t exist.”
Presenters Morgan and Susanna Reid discussed the subject with former judge Arlene Phillips, who is in favour of having same-sex dancing on the show.
Phillips argued that in the “world of contemporary dance” men have danced together as same-sex couples “for a long time now.”
Former judge Arlene Phillips and 2017 contestant Richard Coles debated whether Strictly should feature same-sex partners. (ITV)
“I don’t see why Strictly couldn’t embrace this,” she added.
Morgan and Reid also spoke to 2017 contestant Richard Coles, a reverend, who, despite being openly gay, does not believe that producers should change the current “traditional” format used on the show.
“I have no problem with same-sex couples dancing, I think it’s absolutely fine,” said Coles.
“I think before I went into Strictly last year, I couldn’t think of a good reason why you’d stick with a mixed-sex format, but now I do. Because I think men and women dance together in a particular way, there’s aesthetic reasons to keep that.
“I think Strictly is already about as inclusive and as warm a kind of television programme as you could imagine.”
