Laila Rouass admits she wanted to quit Strictly Come Dancing after race row

15.02.2022 - 03:07 / ok.co.uk

Actress Laila Rouass has admitted that she disliked her time on Strictly Come Dancing so much that she wanted to quit the show.The actress, who is now starring in the crime thriller Traces, was partnered with professional dancer Anton du Beke on the series back in 2009, who reportedly used a racist slur against her.The press reported at the time that Anton referred to her as a 'p***' during rehearsals and asked "whether she was a terrorist". He later claimed what he'd said was "banter" and "in jest". And now reflecting on her experience on the series, 50 year old Laila admitted that it was a "nightmare".

Speaking on The Graham Norton Radio Show on Saturday, the former Holby City actress said: "I really wanted to leave, I didn't enjoy it. "I love the show, but I wanted to do Blackpool, and that's six weeks, and so I go on, we do Blackpool, Rod Stewart's there, I'm thinking I'm living the dream." However, after Blackpool, Laila was voted through to the next round again, which she wasn't happy about. "You've got to go to the camera and go 'thank you, thank you so much', and I go 'I can't believe this, I want to go home!'" she recalled.

"Six weeks, and I wanted to go. You get paid the same anyway, whether you're in the first week or the 17th week," she added. Laila ended up finishing in an impressive fourth position on the show.

The Footballers' Wives actress, whose mother is Indian and father Moroccan, was famously at the other end of a racist remark from her dance partner Anton during rehearsals for the show. Defending himself later, Anton insisted: "I am not a racist, and I do not use racist language. "During our rehearsals, Laila and I have exchanged a great deal of banter – entirely in jest – and two weeks ago, there