A Strictly Come Dancing spokesperson has revealed that professional dancer Graziano Di Prima reportedly 'kicked' celebrity partner Zara McDermott during rehearsals last year.
It was revealed on Saturday (July 13) that Di Prima had been axed as a professional from Strictly 2024 amid allegations about his conduct with a past participant on the show.
Following the announcement, McDermott came forward posting a statement on Instagram.
The former Love Islander said: "So much of my Strictly experience was everything I could have dreamed of.
Strictly dancer Graziano Di Prima kicked Zara McDermott during a rehearsal and knows he made a mistake, spokesman tells BBC https://t.co/fOapPgj4NA
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) July 18, 2024
“The entire production team and everyone behind the scenes as well as my fellow contestants were so amazing to work with.
“However, my experience inside the training room was very different. Reports have been made about my treatment on the show and there were witnesses to some events, as well as videos of particular incidents which are incredibly distressing to watch.
“I have wrestled with the fear of opening up – I was scared about public backlash, I was scared about my future, I was scared of victim shaming.
“But after a lot of conversations with those I love, I’ve gained the strength to face these fears, and when I was asked to speak to the BBC, I spoke candidly about my time on the show.
“The culture within our society makes it difficult for people to speak up, especially in a world where social media opinions and voices are so loud. This is something I’ve seen through working with countless women on my documentaries.”
Strictly Come Dancing alleges Graziano Di Prima 'kicked' Zara McDermott in rehearsals
Now a Strictly spokesperson has come forward alleging Di Prima 'kicked' McDermott during a rehearsal session last year.
Strictly's Mark Borkowski, speaking to BBC News, said: "There is never a time when kicking, or any sense of that is right. And he knows that.
"He knows he's made a mistake. He apologised at the time."
Di Prima thought the matter had been resolved, but video of the incident is believed to have been brought to the attention of the BBC last week, and the dancer was then removed from this year's line-up.
The top 10 best British TV series
The video has not been made public, and the circumstances surrounding it are not known.
But BBC News said it understands the video shows Di Prima "kicking" McDermott during a rehearsal.
Mr Borkowski said Di Prima did not clearly remember the incident, but did not deny there was a kick and accepted that he had "crossed the line".
However, he did deny reports that he spat on his dance partner.
Di Prima "does remember that he was pushing (McDermott) quite hard" in training on the day in question, Mr Borkowski told BBC News.
He added: "But he doesn't recognise some of the issues surrounding it.
"The descriptions of what is being commented online, and how he remembers it, are not aligned."
This all comes after it was confirmed Giovanni Pernice will not be part of the 2024 line-up of professionals amid allegations about his teaching methods, which he rejects.
RECOMMENDED READING:
- 'Fearful' Zara McDermott breaks silence over Graziano Di Prima's Strictly exit
- Has Strictly lost its sparkle? Debate on if show should end amid dancer controversies
- Strictly’s Graziano Di Prima axed from BBC show and ‘deeply regrets’ actions
BBC production crews to sit on Strictly rehearsals
The BBC also announced earlier this week, a member of the production team will be present “at all times” during training room rehearsals on Strictly Come Dancing in 2024.
The corporation said it is announcing “additional steps to strengthen welfare and support” on the popular BBC series, after concerns “have arisen in recent months” that are “fundamentally about training and rehearsals”.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here