A spokesperson for Strictly Come Dancing’s Graziano Di Prima has confirmed he did kick Zara McDermott during rehearsals for the show, however, she’s now hit back at claims it was only once.
Over the weekend, the Italian dancer, 30, confirmed he was leaving the long-running BBC dancing series and said he ‘deeply regrets’ the events that led to his departure.
The announcement came after reports of ‘physical incidents’ involving former Love Island star Zara, 27.
On Thursday, a spokesperson for the dancer confirmed the initial reports, which sparked his removal from the show.
Following their statement, Zara’s reps have said that it was ‘not a singular incident’, referring to her original statement.
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They told The Sun: ‘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…’
Speaking on BBC News yesterday, Graziano’s rep Mark Borkowski said there was ‘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.’
Graziano 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.
Borkowski said Graziano did not clearly remember the incident, but did not deny there was a kick, adding he accepted that he had ‘crossed the line’.
He did, however, deny reports that his client spat on his dance partner.
He also told the PA news agency that Graziano has been left ‘in a very vulnerable state’.
He said: ‘This week the news agenda has focused on an isolated incident that Mr Di Prima deeply regrets and apologised for at the time.
‘The deluge of commentary, too often without context or nuance, has provoked a pile-on that has left a young man in a very vulnerable state.
‘In this case, like in many others, media and social media have immense power to build and destroy careers.’
When revealing he wouldn’t be returning to the show, the pro dancer shared a lengthy statement on social media five days ago.
‘I deeply regret the events that led me to my departure from Strictly,’ he posted.
‘My intense passion and determination to win might have affected my training regime.
‘Respecting the BBC HR process, I understand that it’s best for the show if I step away.
‘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 friends and family.’
‘I wish the Strictly family nothing but success in the future. I also want to thank everyone who has supported my career, both professionally and personally.
He concluded by saying: ‘When the time is right, I will share my story.’
The BBC confirmed the dancer’s departure and said in a statement to The Mirror: ‘We can confirm that Graziano Di Prima is no longer a part of the line-up of professional dancers for the upcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing.
‘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.’
Graziano first joined the show in 2018 and was paired with Vick Hope. He went on to dance with Judi Love, Kym Marsh, and then most recently Zara.
His statement was followed by one from Zara, who said she had found it to watch ‘distressing’ footage of ‘particular incidents’.
The former reality star initially began the message by explaining how Strictly was a dream job for her, and so when selected to take part last year, she gave it her full commitment.
‘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,’ she explained.
However she said her 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,’ she added.
Zara then said she’d ‘wrestled with the fear of opening up’, concerned about ‘public backlash and victim shaming’, however ‘gained the strength to face these fears’ and then spoke ‘candidly’ to the BBC about her experience.
Since the allegations have been public, it has been discovered Zara no longer follows Graziano on Instagram.
He is the second dancer to leave Strictly after reports of backstage conduct.
Giovanni Pernice is under investigation after his most recent partner Amanda Abbington quit Strictly after five weeks last year and claimed to have been left with PTSD.
She has since called him ‘tough’, ‘nasty’ and ‘brutal’.
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Metro.co.uk has reached out to reps for the BBC, Zara McDermott, and Graziano Di Prima for comment.
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