John Sergeant's professional dance partner Kristina Rihanoff has defended him, saying that he was not lazy when it came to training for the show.
Rihanoff told Closer magazine: "Arlene (Phillips) needs to realise people are listening to what she says - it's not a good look."
"She's the same age as John and should know by now how to be respectful."
Speaking about Sergeant's training, she said: "John lost 30lb so how can he have been lazy?"
"It was a ridiculous comment and I know John was very upset by it. We worked six hours a day with a five-minute break every 30 minutes."
