Craig Revel Horwood has stated that he did not feel ‘exploited’ when he was a teenager and had a’sugar daddy relationship’ with an older colleague.
The 58-year-old Strictly Come Dancing judge was born in the Australian town of Ballarat and began dancing as a youngster to get out of the home and away from his alcoholic father.
Craig went to Melbourne at the age of 15 and worked as an apprentice cook before landing a position as a trainee cameraman at a television station.
However, he has now talked more about how, at the time, he had a’sugar daddy’ relationship with someone he worked with.
The ‘business deal’ called for the guy, who was in his 40s, to take Craig on a six-week tour to attend shows in New York and London, as well as pay for his dancing lessons.
In exchange, the couple enjoyed a sexual connection.
Despite current conversations about power imbalances in partnerships, Craig has stated that he sees no problem with what occurred.
‘No, I didn’t feel it was wrong,’ he said.
‘For me, it was a relationship in that way. It wasn’t rent on the corner of the street.
‘It was a sugar daddy relationship, simple as.’
He went on to say that he didn’t think it was exploitative at all.
‘I got something from it, and he got something from it, and then we went our separate ways,’ he said when speaking to The Guardian.
‘It could have been worse, I suppose. He was supportive of everything I was doing, dance-wise, and getting me through difficult times.
‘Someone I could talk to – so for me, it was a learning experience, it taught me a lot and it wasn’t abusive in any way.’
Craig detailed his friendship with the individual he referred to as Mr X in his 2008 memoir, All Balls and Glitters.
Craig stated in the book, “knew I didn’t love or even find him attractive, but he got what he wanted and I got away from Ballarat.”
Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One and iPlayer on Saturday, September 16.
Source My Celebrity Life.
