Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood has disclosed that he was stabbed and robbed during a holiday in Madrid, and subsequently subjected to a strip search by French authorities upon his return to the UK. The 61-year-old dancer shared the harrowing experience on the Judgemental podcast, which he co-hosts with fellow Strictly judge Anton Du Beke.
Attack in Madrid: Jewellery Stolen and Injury Suffered
Revel Horwood recounted that the incident occurred in the early hours, around 2 a.m., as he was returning from a club. He described being slashed in the stomach with a razor blade, and having his necklace ripped from his neck, leaving a significant burn mark. "I went on holiday in Madrid and got stabbed, that was nice, and it was stinking hot," he said. "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."
The attack took place during a holiday that was meant to be a relaxing break after a dance engagement in Paris. "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," he added.
Strip Search on Return: A Second Ordeal
After the traumatic experience in Madrid, Revel Horwood faced further indignity when he was strip-searched by French authorities on his way back. He explained that his dishevelled appearance, due to not having shaved and the visible wounds from the attack, likely drew suspicion. "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," he said. "And then the French strip searched me down to literally nothing.... they were looking for drugs."
Kenya Trip Also Ends in Disaster
Revel Horwood also recounted another travel mishap during a trip to Mombasa, Kenya. He had booked a safari holiday, but upon arrival at the airport, he was informed that his hotel had burned down. "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'," he said. "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."
The group was hastily accommodated in another hotel, and the following day, they embarked on a romantic cruise down the River Nile. However, the trip took a turn for the worse when many in the group fell ill. "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 said. The sickness was later diagnosed as salmonella poisoning from "off chicken" consumed the previous night.
Looking Ahead
Despite these harrowing experiences, Revel Horwood remains a prominent figure on Strictly Come Dancing, with the new series set to air on BBC One and iPlayer this September.
