Aliona Vilani
'Strictly Come Dancing' star Aliona Vilani is furious at being axed from the show.
The professional dancer is upset after BBC bosses claimed she had quit the show, saying she had actually been forced out.
She said: "I feel I should make it clear that I haven't left.
"It was definitely not my decision and choice to leave 'Strictly' - let's see what happens."
The Kazakhstan-born star - who partnered Johnny Ball in the show's last series, and won the show in 2011 with Harry Judd - added to the Daily Mirror newspaper: "It was not my decision to leave, I have only just been told by bosses that I was not coming back - they didn't give me a reason and I was too upset to ask why. I was just told that I was out and that was that.
"It was very difficult to hear, I had planned to be on the show this year so I will have to make new plans.
"Right now I am very upset and in a state of shock."
Other dancers including Erin Boag, Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace were said to have quit in a statement from the BBC last week.
Show sources claim it is "more than just coincidence" Aliona has been axed after sustaining an injury in the last series.
The source said: "She got an injury in training last year and tore some ligaments which kept her out for a few weeks, and by the time she could return her celebrity partner had already been voted out - but that was hardly her fault.
"Now the dancer who briefly stood in for her seems to have been given her job. All dancers get injuries occasionally, and it would be totally wrong to penalise her for that."