The 47-year-old, who was a pro dancer on the BBC show between 2006 to 2013, appeared on the ITV programme to chat about the upcoming The Return Of The Legends tour.
James was joined by his The Return Of The Legends co-stars Brendan Cole and Pasha Kovalev, Vincent Simone and Ian Waite – who are also Strictly dancers just like him.
The group spoke about their upcoming tour dates, but Joel wanted to know if he thinks that the dance show can survive another scandal.
It comes after it was revealed that BBC bosses are reportedly set to offer professional support to two stars of hit dancing show Strictly, amid allegations they took cocaine on the programme.
James said: ‘Yeah, Strictly is a juggernaut of a show…
‘But you say about the show has changed, which is true.
‘Back in our day, a long, long time ago… We only got diet coke didn’t we?’
James’ co-stars giggled as Joel laughed, while Emma’s facial expressions stayed very straight.
Brendan told him: ‘You can’t say that!’
Prior to that comment, Joel said: ‘Strictly has been back in the headlines this weekend. Do you have anything to say?’
Brendan said: ‘Strictly, we hold Strictly very dear to our hearts all of us.
‘It put us where we are today. It’s the reason that we are on this sofa today.
‘There will always be controversies with Strictly because there are too many people involved in it.
‘I think hopefully the BBC will handle things in the correct way and look after the people that are on the show. I think that’s the most important thing.
‘What comes out will come out.’
Emma read out a comment from the Beeb which said: ‘We have clear protocols in place for dealing with any serious complaints raised with us. We would also encourage people to speak to us if they have concerns.
‘It would not be appropriate for us to comment further.’
‘It’s a serious subject, hopefully it’s dealt with in the right way,’ Brendan said.
‘It’s one of those things, you never really know what’s going on behind the scenes, maybe they do know and never really dealt with it at the source, but that is not to know because we’re not on the show.’
James chimed in: ‘But we have lots of friends that are on the show so it’s very difficult for us to comment and we don’t really know what is true.’
It comes after The Sun alleged that it was widely known that the pair, who have not been named, took the Class A substance.
It was revealed the broadcaster has hired a law firm to probe allegations of drug taking by two individuals, whose drug use is said to be ‘well-known’ on the show.
The claims were reportedly made in a legal submission to the BBC by law firm Russells back in March, on behalf of former contestant Wynne Evans.
Last night a source told the newspaper: ‘The BBC is taking the allegations really seriously.
‘Bosses are aware of the two stars in question and have a duty of care to make sure they’re okay.
‘As per BBC policy, the option of specialised professional support is on the table and will be offered.’
They added: ‘While drug testing won’t happen on the main show, bosses are considering bringing in random checks for the tour next year.
‘The BBC needs to be sure nothing illegal is going on.
‘It all depends on what the investigation finds.’
The Daily Mail has contacted the BBC for comment.
The shock allegations come just amid a long period of controversy for the BBC and Strictly over the past year or so.
In July last year, more than six months after quitting the show citing ‘personal reasons’, actress Amanda Abbington accused pro dancer Giovanni Pernice of ‘unnecessary, cruel and mean behaviour’ during their time dancing together on Strictly.
Giovanni rejected the claims immediately, and a BBC investigation ruled in September that her claims of physical aggression and threatening behaviour were not upheld.
When BBC bosses published their report into Giovanni’s behaviour, it cleared him of the most serious allegations of physical aggression, but upheld verbal bullying and harassment.
Complaints of verbal bullying and harassment meant the BBC issued an apology to Amanda, but Giovanni said he was ‘pleased the report has not found any evidence of threatening or abusive behaviour‘.
This Morning airs weekdays on ITV1 from 10am and is available to stream on ITVX.
