Zara McDermott has hit back at Strictly’s Graziano Di Prima following his ‘apology’ for ‘misconduct’ claims.
The professional dancer has been accused of “hitting and kicking” the Love Island star during her time on the show last year, and last week, he announced he was leaving the show following these claims.
On Friday, he apologised for his actions with his spokesperson, Mark Borkowski, telling 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.”
The spokesperson continued: “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.”
However, he insisted his behaviour was one-off incident, which Zara’s representatives have now hit back at – claiming there was more than one incident.
The Love Island’s spokesperson told The BBC: “It’s a matter of public record that the BBC deemed the conduct to be so severe that they removed him from the show immediately.”
“Zara has already confirmed in a statement released on her social media earlier this week that the reported conduct was not a singular incident.”
Taking to Instagram last week, Graziano shared a statement to confirm he will no longer be a part of Strictly Come Dancing.
He confessed his “intense passion and determination to win might have affected my training regime.”
The DailyMail has reported that the Italian dancer was spoken to by bosses of the hit show this week and his contract was terminated.
The publication said a complaint was made recently and prompted the BBC to extend the inquiry that was ongoing over claims against fellow Strictly pro Giovanni Pernice.
A source told the publication: “It was during that meeting that it all unfolded.”
“It seems that whatever Gio has done it opened a can of worms.”
Graziano joined Strictly in 2018 and was partnered with reality star Zara McDermott where the pair made it to week 6 last year.
On Tuesday, Zara broke her silence following claims of “misconduct” against her Strictly dance partner.
Taking the Instagram, Zara wrote in a statement: “I felt it was right that I post something regarding the recent media reports.”
“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.”
She continued: “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 work with.”
Zara confessed: “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.”
The reality star admitted: “This is something I’ve seen through working with countless women on my documentaries.”
“I would like to thank the BBC & BBC Studios for their swift action and incredibly high level of support, as well as everyone who has reached out to me – it really truly means a lot.”
She signed off the statement: “Love, always. Zara❤️”
