Strictly 2016
Danny Mac with his dance partner Oti Mabuse Jay Brooks/ BBC/ PA

Danny Mac has slammed claims that Strictly Come Dancing is fixed, insisting that there is "no way" the Saturday night juggernaut was calculated to favour certain contestants. Speaking to Heat magazine, the 28-year-old actor − who has been dancing with Strictly pro Oti Mabuse − assured fans that the only thing rife on the show was friendly competition.

"Oh my goodness, no way. Daisy [Lowe] did an amazing, beautiful routine. Len is the expert and he loved it. But once you've been up the top, it's hard to maintain that."

Mac went on to add that when their dancing shoes came off, their rivalry melted away. "We've got a Whatsapp group, so everyone's on there with the banter and the chat. We're the only ones who get what we're going through – the 10 hours of training every day, " he told Heat.

The latest series of Strictly Come Dancing has been plagued with fresh claims that the competition is fixed after former show regular dancer James Jordan suggested that there was a culture of favoritism behind the scenes.

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In a string of tweets Jordan, who was axed from the show in 2013, implied that show bosses had hidden motives when pairing the celebrities with the professional dancers.

The producers have been trying for years to get one of them to win," he said. "Did anyone notice some pros always get celebs that have had loads of dance training. Not fair on other pros. Not been challenged."

He added: "I really like Louise [Redknapp] but she is already an amazing dancer and also was a judge on SYTYCD judging pro dancers. Final for sure! Will Young has also had lots of dance experience..... Lots."

However, a BBC spokesperson branded his claims "complete and utter rubbish".

"Pairings of celebrities with the professional dancers is based on many factors and designed to give the celebrities the best possible experience on the show," the rep said in a statement. "It's the public who decides the winner, not producers."

Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday at 6.20pm on BBC1.