The 61-year-old dancer was on holiday in Madrid when he claims to have been stabbed, had jewellery stolen and strip searched for drugs on his way out of Spain.

Speaking on the Judgemental podcast, which he hosts with fellow Strictly judge Anton Du Beke, Mr Revel Horwood said: “I went on holiday in Madrid and got stabbed, that was nice, and it was stinking hot.

READ MORE: Richard Hammond was given three-month driving ban before clocked speeding

“My jewellery was stolen as well, they ripped my necklace off my neck and gave me a big burn mark…

“It was a razor blade… I was slashed… (in the) stomach coming home from a club, it was probably two o’clock in the morning, but that’s sort of normal, you go out for dinner at 10 or 11.

“But I remember I was dancing at the Lido in Paris, and we went to Madrid for a holiday, so that ended up pretty bad.

“And then when I got back, I got strip-searched. I hadn’t shaved, so I did look a bit of a wreck, I’d been stabbed, I had burn marks all around my neck from where I was, like, attacked.

“And then the French strip searched me down to literally nothing…. they were looking for drugs.”

Revel Horwood went on to say that disaster also struck during a trip to Mombasa in Kenya, where he found out his hotel had burned down when he arrived at the airport.

He added: “I remember flying to Mombasa in Kenya. It was all fabulous, I thought, ‘oh yeah, I’m going on safari, that’s going to be nice’.

“Got out there, arrived, all the hotels and everything were paid for in advance, they’re giving us a like a bus from the airport to the hotel, and they said on arrival, ‘your hotel has burnt down’…

“The hotel was burnt down, and no one bothered to tell us until we actually arrived.

“Anyway, they found us another one, they just shoved us in there, (and) I went on, you know, a very romantic cruise down the River Nile…

“Then the next day we all had to go to the airport and leave all the crews, and one by one, when we’re standing in the queue at the airport, people just were falling to the ground, literally dropping, like boom.”

He went on to say that the sickness was later revealed to be salmonella poisoning from “off chicken” those on the trip had eaten the night before.

Mr Revel Horwood has several links to Oxford, having visited The Jolly Farmers multiple times during his Annie run, earning praise from the owner as being very “charming”.

He has also starred as Miss Hannigan in the production of Annie in April 2023, and directed/choreographed Now That’s What I Call a Musical, slated for March 2025 at the New Theatre.

The new series of Strictly will air on BBC One and iPlayer this September.

Brooklyn, 27, had shared a statement on social media in January, making several accusations about his parents, David, 51, and Victoria, 52.

The source of the tension was reportedly his relationship with his fiancée, Nicola Peltz, 31.

According to the Daily Mail, things became so strained that Brooklyn and his parents were not on speaking terms for some three months before his wedding to Nicola in Palm Beach, in April 2022.

Despite the family rift, the Beckhams maintained a united front for the cameras at the wedding, and posted adoring posts on social media after the event.

READ MORE: Anti-racism group concerns after Tommy Robinson weighs in on Bicester asylum row

Lady Victoria Beckham with her family. (Image: Victoria Beckham / Instagram)

Brooklyn’s accusations included claims that Victoria ‘hijacking’ his first dance with Nicola and danced with him ‘inappropriately’ in front of his 500 guests.

He also alleged that the fashion designer pulled out of making Nicola’s dress at the last minute.

Following these accusations, Brooklyn reportedly issued a legal notice to his parents, instructing them to only contact him through his lawyers.

An insider told The Sun that Brooklyn felt his parents ignored his wishes and continued to mention him online instead of reaching out privately.

The insider said: “Truly, people do not know the full facts of this heart-breaking tale, and think Brooklyn was just being truculent when he blocked his parents.

The reality is that he issued them with a letter at the end of last summer, asking for any correspondence to go via lawyers only, and wanted to try and make amends privately not publicly.”

Instead, Chiltern Railways has started hiring Customer Service Inspectors—roles that closely resemble the duties of traditional guards.

Oxford’s new railway line to Milton Keynes has been complete for almost two years, but passenger trains still aren’t running.

The move comes after the Government’s initial instruction to adopt driver-only operation, with unions demanding that a guard be present.

The new inspectors, to be based at the Bletchley depot—home to East West Rail services—will undertake tasks including customer care, revenue protection, making on-train announcements, and reporting or rectifying faults.

While a second staff member will typically be present, train doors will still be operated by drivers, meaning the absence of a second staff member in rare cases will not prevent a service from running—mirroring practices commonly seen south of London.

45 drivers have been recruited for the new service, but no guards.

An internal government document confirms issues at Winslow station will not obstruct operation, and the fleet of trains has been upgraded with ‘Superpower mode’ to enhance acceleration and meet a tight timetable.

The project delays have already taken a significant financial toll.

READ MORE: Plans for Oxfordshire councils to be abolished is a ‘land grab’

Six two-carriage trains have accumulated £2.6m in costs due to delays in their lease.

Currently idle in a Bletchley depot, these units are costing the Department for Transport money without generating any fare income.

Previously, the rail industry attributed setbacks to complications in finalising Winslow station.

However, observers note this typically does not stop a line from launching, as seen with the Northumberland Line, which managed to start operations even with incomplete stations.

A total of 45 drivers have been recruited for the new service, but the absence of guards, also known as ‘train managers’, has proved more contentious.

The Government has been pushing for ‘Driver-Controlled’ or ‘Driver-Only Operation’—a cost-saving method introduced widely on London commuter lines in the 1980s.

However, this system’s extension to new lines has faced staunch resistance from rail unions, who have fielded several disputes over the years, the most recent of which extended more than four years with South Western Railway.

The stalemate over guards has ultimately stalled the Oxford-Milton Keynes route, but the introduction of the ‘Customer Service Inspector’ role now seems to pave the way for the resolution, hinting at imminent rides for the eagerly awaiting passengers.

The Government previously said trains from Oxford to Milton Keynes are being lined up to appear in the December rail timetable.

In a written statement, rail minister Lord Peter Hendy said: “Chiltern worked with Network Rail, the Department for Transport and other operators on the December 2026 timetable and services have been timetabled between Oxford, Winslow, Bletchley and Milton Keynes.”