Darcey Bussell quit Strictly Come Dancing because she was sick of the 'soap opera' scandals and her requests for a £40,000 pay rise not being met, it has been claimed.
The former principal ballerina confirmed today that she has stepped down from the judging panel after seven years, insisting her decision had nothing to do with 'any upset'.
However, according to The Sun , she walked away after growing weary of scandals such as Seann Walsh and Katya Jones' snog, and also wanted her £180,000 wage to be bumped up to bring her closer in line with Bruno Tonioli and head judge Shirley Ballas, who are believed to earn £240,000.
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“Darcey felt she deserved to be on par with the rest of the judges, especially after the recent series scored such high ratings. She made it clear if her demands were not met, she’d walk. And despite the BBC’s best attempts to keep her, she remained true to her word," a source said.
The insider also claims she'd had enough of Bruno's 'theatrics' and of fellow judge Craig Revel-Horwood sniping at Shirley.
“Behind the scenes she was secretly becoming fed up with ‘the Bruno show’ and felt the dynamic between the judges changed after Craig's jibes at Shirley's cosmetic surgery . The atmosphere was never the same.
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“She also hated the never-ending rumours surrounding the pros dating celebrity partners and was particularly annoyed by Seann Walsh’s romance with Katya Jones. Darcey is a happily-married, family-orientated woman and thinks Strictly had become some sort of sleazy soap opera.”
And finally, the insider says, she was unhappy about plans to have the judges perform more given her background is in ballet, not ballroom.
Mirror Online has contacted her reps for comment.
