Craig Revel Horwood insists his Stacey Dooley jibe was ‘funny’ despite issuing apology

Craig Revel Horwood has backtracked on his apology to Stacey Dooley after he made a comment about her relationship with dance partner Kevin Clifton.

The Strictly Come Dancing judge is said to have joked that contestants should consider “sleeping with your dance partner” during filming for the launch episode, which saw Clifton and Dooley perform a dance.

The pair won the last series of the BBC show and are now in a relationship.

Revel Horwood issued an apology “to Kevin and Stacey and everyone who works on the show” shortly after, describing his remark as “hurtful, cruel and incredibly disrespectful.”

In an interview with New magazine, the panellist has now claimed that the “jokey” remark “was treated like it was the start of World War Three.”

“Did I [apologise] or was that the BBC?” Revel Horwood told the publication.

“Oh yes… I did. It was very grovel-ly - it doesn’t even sound like me. You’d think I’d done something really out of order.

“My real take on it is that it’s the world we live in now. A jokey remark was treated like it was the start of World War Three.

“I guess if some people are sensitive then they need the apology. So I just apologised, it’s quite simple.”

He continued: “I thought it was quite funny but it wasn’t taken that way. You just don’t know how it’s going to be taken. It was a joke. It was just that simple - it was a joke.”

Revel Horwood appears on the show’s judging panel alongside head judge Shirley Ballas, Bruno Tonioli and newcomer Motsi Mabuse.

Strictly Come Dancing continues on BBC One on Saturday September 28 at 6.40pm.