Strictly Come Dancing's harshest judge is having his say on a joke he cracked and the person it was aimed at.
Craig Revel-Horwood reportedly said: "Stacey [Dooley] was dragged up from the dance gutter. Of course, if you sleep with your dance partner that helps."
Craig was referring to Stacey's relationship with her professional dance partner Kevin Clifton. The pair won last year's series.
He apologised in The Sun , but a new interview is shedding light on what he really thinks.
The 54 year-old said: "I recognise that what I said was hurtful, cruel and incredibly disrespectful. It was a huge error of judgement that I very much regret."
He has now hinted to New magazine that the apology wasn't genuine and that he was forced into it by the BBC.
"Did I apologise or was that the BBC?" Craig asked.
He continued: "It was very grovelly. It doesn't even sound like me. You'd think I'd done something really out of order.
"A jokey remark was treated like it was the start of World War Three."
Craig went on to claim that documentary film maker Stacey was "sensitive" about the whole thing.
The judge remarked: "I guess if some people are quite sensitive then they need the apology. So I just apologised, it's quite simple.
"I thought it was quite funny, but it wasn't taken that way."
This comes amid controversy surrounding the dancer and choreographer after he played down how important the dance contest was to him.
He was also told he needed to rein in some of his more scathing opinions.
He dished: "Every year I get told to tone it down and I don't listen. Of course I won't be toning it down this year.
"I'm going to be just like I've been for 16 years. I'm not changing for anyone, if that's the case I'd rather not judge it."
Craig added: "It's just a Saturday job, Monday to Friday I choreograph and dance, but Strictly is a very small part of it.
"We're all dispensable, I imagine they would replace me with someone else. It's not me who has gone on to 56 countries worldwide, it's the show and the format."
Strictly 2019 is now underway, with Saturday's live show, the first of the series, seeing Emmerdale's Kelvin Fletcher and partner Oti Mabuse storm to the top of the leader board.
