Zara McDermott admitted that she would’ve chosen a different dance partner on Strictly Come Dancing than Graziano Di Prima in an unearthed interview.
The professional dancer, 31, was axed from the upcoming series of the show over claims he verbally and physically abused the Love Island star, 27, during last year’s competition.
And as more allegations about his behaviour have emerged, a throwback clip of the pair has resurfaced, showing Zara voicing a desire to work with a different dancer instead.
Answering questions together with Grazia, Zara and Graziano were asked: ‘If you had to dance with another dancer/contestant for a week, who would you pick?’
Zara immediately said: ‘I know who I would pick, but you go first.’
But Graziano refused to pick someone and said: ‘See you later’ as he got up to storm off, while Zara insisted: ‘It’s a game! It is a game.’
But the Italian shot back: ‘Yeah but your brain went there anyway.’
Zara attempted to defend herself, saying she would have only chosen someone she thought was ‘really nice’.
She said: ‘Well no, but I’m just thinking if there was someone who I think is really nice, who I’d also get on with. If I had to dance with another dancer, it would probably Kai [Widdrington] because I really like Kai.’
In response, Graziano changed his answer and said: ‘If I could dance with someone it would probably be Layton [Williams],’ causing Zara to declare: ‘I knew you’d say that!’
It comes following reports on Sunday, that Graziano was accused of ‘chasing’ after Zara while ‘screaming abuse,’ leaving her so frightened that she ‘locked herself in a toilet.’
He has apologised for kicking his former partner, but added other allegations do not align with ‘how he remembers it.’
According to the reports, shock details have now been revealed which allege he ‘called her nasty names, asked if she had gained weight and was forceful’ leaving her ‘visibly demoralised’ and ‘in tears.’
Zara herself previously claimed in a statement there had been ‘particular incidents inside the training room which were incredibly distressing.’
She did not report the incidents at the time as she was ‘scared’ of backlash, instead it was junior production staff who came forward.
An insider told The Sun: ‘Zara ran to the toilets and locked herself in. He chased after her and was screaming abuse. He was aggressive and called her nasty names. It was really scary.
‘You could constantly hear Graziano screaming but when production staff opened the door he would stop. He’d say, “How the f*** are you not getting this right?”, and “Why are we even bothering to come here?”. Zara was visibly demoralised.’
The insider added that Graziano would apologise each time and ‘promise to not do it again.’
On Thursday, Mark Borkowski, a spokesperson for Graziano, told BBC News: ‘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.’
Referring to the media reports, Mark 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.’
‘He [Graziano] has literally cut himself off from civilisation. I think that’s a wise thing to do, supported by his wife. He’s coming to terms with his mental health issues.’
Graziano believed the matter had been resolved at the time.
The investigation into his behaviour was triggered by Strictly’s bid to clean up the show after fellow Italian Giovanni Pernice was accused of abusive behaviour by his 2023 dance partner Amanda Abbington, which resulted in him leaving the show. Giovanni denies the claims.
According to show insiders, video footage of Graziano mistreating Zara gave bosses no choice but to cancel his contract.
Addressing his departure on Instagram, Graziano wrote: ‘I deeply regret the events that led to my departure from Strictly. My intense passion and determination to win might have affected my training regime. Respecting the BBC HR process, I understand it’s best for the show that I step away.’
He continued: ‘While there are aspects of this story involving external influences that I can’t discuss at this time, I remain committed to being strong for my family and friends. I wish the Strictly family and the BBC nothing but success in the future.’
He concluded the post: ‘I also want to thank everyone who has supported my career, both professionally and personally. When the time is right, I will share my story.’
A BBC Spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘We will not be commenting on individuals or engaging with speculation.
‘However, as we have said previously we will always listen if people want to make us aware of something or raise it with us directly and we have appropriate procedures and processes in place to manage this.’
Earlier this week, Graziano admitted he called Zara McDermott ‘rubbish’ in re-surfaced interview as he detailed his tough training regime.
Zara has since been seen with only three toenails left, her feet ‘bleeding’ and ‘passed out’ on the floor as images of her in training have come to light once more.
Now, in a re-surfaced interview from October, Graziano discusses the regime he undergoes with the celebrity contestants while speaking to Zara’s boyfriend Sam Thompson on his Hits Radio UK show.
In the clip he explained: ‘The thing for me, every season I try to make a friend, because this person needs to feel comfortable in the room with me, because they’ve never danced before for example, and we don’t know each other.’
Graziano added: ‘We are forced to spend all day together. You need to understand that I’m just teaching you.
‘Everything I’m saying is not personal, it’s about how you move. I’m not telling you that you’re rubbish in life!’
MailOnline has contacted Graziano Di Prima’s representative’s for comment.
In a resurfaced video posted on the professional dancer’s Instagram Story, Zara can be seen napping on the floor of the dance studio as she attempted to get some rest after an exhausting training session.
Taken on October 25 just days before the pair were eliminated from the show in week six, Graziano waited for her to wake up as he captioned the snap: ‘She asked me 5 minutes break’.
Later reposting the clip, after her slumber, she seemed to joke: ‘I think I’ve clocked about 50k steps already today with this routine. Give me a break pls’ alongside a laughing emoji.
Months after the show, Zara also revealed that she only has three toenails after losing them during the competition.
While training for Strictly, Zara shared a photo of her nasty foot wounds including one on her big toe, she wrote: ‘Half my toe has come off tbh.’
During an interview last year, Zara revealed the reason behind her agonising injury, that left her feet ‘bleeding’ was her gruelling training sessions.
She said at the time it was a tough ride during rehearsals when Graziano made her wear ‘men’s shoes’ which left her feet sore and cut.
Speaking at the Who Cares Wins awards, Zara said: ‘Graziano told me not to go for the heels but to dance in men’s shoes at the start.
‘I told him, ‘It’s not working, I need to take them off’ and he said, ‘No, no you’re fine’.
‘I said honestly it’s hurting and I took them off and my feet were bleeding. I was like, ‘I told you I am not being dramatic!’
Zara has been open about her injuries and has more recently been wearing a Aircast Boot after having a stress fracture in her tibia.
In March, she shared a health update on Instagram ahead of a hospital visit, she penned: ‘This evening I’m heading to the hospital because while I was away I got some news from my Dr about my tibia fracture.
‘The good news is that there is some small evidence of healing! Yay!
‘However he said he can see that the bone surrounding the fracture is under a lot of tension/pressure… whatever that means?
‘Surgery is still an option but I’ve opted for the most natural route which is to try and help it heal on its own…’
In another post, Zara explained her injury further and asked followers for advice.
She penned: ‘So I have quite a significant stress fracture in my tibia that isn’t healing. It stretches pretty much the entire width of my bone.
‘The professor who operated on me back in December has advised that I am likely to need further surgery where they put metal screws and plates above and below the fractured area to fuse it together.
‘I’m just weighing up whether to crack on and go ahead with the surgery or wait and hope that it starts to heal on its own. If it doesn’t, then I will need to have surgery in 3-6 months anyway.’
Zara broke her silence after Graziano was sacked from Strictly Come Dancing over reports he ‘hit and kicked’ her on Tuesday.
The Love Island star wrote on Instagram that while much of her time on Strictly ‘was everything I could have dreamt of’ inside the training room with Graziano there were ‘particular incidents which are incredibly distressing’.
‘I felt it was right that I post something regarding the recent media reports,’ Zara begain. ‘Strictly is one of the most magical shows on TV and one that I dreamt of being on since I was a little girl.’
‘When I was invited to be a contestant on the show it really was a childhood dream come true. I fully understood the level of commitment and hard work that Strictly was going to be and I dedicated everything to it.’
‘I am a resilient person and I was fully prepared to put in whatever it took.’
‘And so much of my Strictly experience was everything I could have dreamt of. The entire production team and everyone behind the scenes as well as my fellow contestants were so amazing to worth 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 incredible distressing to watch.
Zara explained that she didn’t report the incidents at the time as she was ‘scared’ of backlash.
Instead it was junior production staff who came forward to share what they had witnessed as the investigation into pro dancer Giovanni Pernice was taking place.
Giovanni, 33, was suspended while a BBC probe is underway over allegations made by Amanda Abbinngton and two other former celebrity partners.
He has now denied all accusations of abusive or threatening behaviour made by Amanda in her interview and has cooperated with the BBC.
‘I have wrested with the fear of opening up – I was scared about public backlash, I was scared about my future, I was scared of victim shaming,’ Zara wrote on Instagram.
‘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.
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 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.
‘I would like to thank the BBC and BBC Studios for their swift action and incredibly high level of support, as wel as everyone who has reached out to me – it really truly meas a lot. Love, always. Zara.’
Graziano, who was due to compete in his seventh series of Strictly before his sacking, is taking legal action against the BBC, MailOnline revealed on Monday.
The BBC has vowed to fight back after it was revealed that Strictly Come Dancing star Graziano Di Prima is taking legal action against the broadcaster.
The Sicilian dancer believes he should have been ‘supported and helped’ with his behaviour after bosses warned him about his treatment of former Love Island star Zara.
But a BBC insider told the Mail that the broadcaster will fight back, explaining: ‘Why would any workplace, particularly one paid for by the public, offer support to someone who acted in an undoubtedly abhorrent manner?’
Graziano, who allegedly ‘kicked and hit’ Zara, argues that he was not given any advice on how to deal with the pressure of competing in the show.
A friend of the professional dancer said: ‘There are questions over their [the BBC’s] procedures, and how they operate behind the scenes.’
‘He [Di Prima] believes that there is a lot of pressure on professionals to get nines or tens to entertain the audience.’
MailOnline revealed that Strictly production staff raised concerns about Graziano’s conduct last year, but bosses only went as far as to issue quiet warnings to him.
The group expected him to be sacked instantly. They are said to be furious that their complaints were ignored, meaning the abuse towards Zara was allowed to continue. Graziano was even signed on for the upcoming 2024 series of Strictly.
A source from the show said: ‘There were multiple occasions where both physical and verbal attacks were made. It was more physical than verbal, but all of it was dreadful.’
It was not until staff got hold of a video allegedly showing Graziano repeatedly hitting Zara– nine months after their initial complaint – that he was fired.
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Source: CNN
