ZapGossip

Mike Bushell says online abuse has been ‘ridiculous’

Mike Bushell thinks the abuse he’s received from ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ fans has been "ridiculous".
The 53-year-old presenter received threats via Twitter after he survived the dreaded dance-off at the expense of Catherine Tyldesley – but Mike thinks things have gone too far.
He told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "I tried to report it but they deleted the tweet and deleted the account.
"Often you go onto these accounts and they’ve only got two followers. It’s just someone having a dig. I never for a millisecond took it seriously. No way.
"Now there’s been a few saying they’re not going to watch unless I resign but we don’t take any of that seriously. It’s ridiculous! It’s a fun show, we trust the judges. They’re the experts. All you can do is concentrate on your own dance, do your best and cheer everyone else on.
"When they’re saying ‘resign now’ when you’ve been trying all week. It’s just daft."
Mike – who is partnered with Katya Jones on the BBC dance show – has tried to "rise above" the abuse.
He said: "You rise above the trolls. It’s supposed to be a happy show.
"We’ve loved every step of it and every week’s a bonus. If you put the hours in – we’re working from 8am till 10pm – and try and learn all the steps then whatever happens, happens. If you go out, you do it with your held held high.
"If you go through to another week it’s a complete bonus."