Zara McDermott has spoken out about her experience on Strictly Come Dancing following the news her former dancing partner, Graziano Di Prima, has been sacked from the BBC competition series.
Taking to her Instagram Stories on July 16, the former Love Island star and documentary maker shared that she was involved in incidents during training that she described as “incredibly distressing” to watch back.
On July 13, the BBC shared that Di Prima was “no longer a part of the line-up of professional dancers for the upcoming series”, to which he said he “deeply regrets” the incidents that lead to his departure from the show.
In a statement on social media, he 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.”
Reports from The Sun claim that Di Prima is not returning to Strictly Come Dancing after “a number of physical incidents involving Zara”, who appeared with him on the show last year. They were eliminated on week five.
It was reported last week that show staffers who had watched footage of Di Prima’s rehearsals with Zara McDermott were reportedly “reduced to tears” by what they saw in their training.
A BBC spokesperson said:“While we would never comment on individual cases, it is well-known that the BBC has established and robust duty of care procedures, and if issues are raised we will always take them seriously and act swiftly as appropriate.”
Zara McDermott has since shared her own statement on Instagram Stories. “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.”
Di Prima has refuted previous allegations for behaviour as “abusive or threatening” and said he is fully co-operating with the ongoing investigation.
Di Prima joined Strictly Come Dancing in 2018, and has danced with Vick Hope, Loose Women’s Judi Love and Kym Marsh.
This investigation follows pro dancer Giovanni Pernice’s departure from the show in June. He was suspended while the BBC probed claims of gross misconduct while working with partner Amanda Abbington and other previous partners.
And following all of these concerning incidents, The Times is reporting senior management at Strictly is ‘in talks to hire chaperones for stars’ to better “duty of care”.
It’s incredibly difficult to speak out, and we’re thinking of Zara as the investigations continue.
