When pro Graziano di Prima was dropped from Strictly Come Dancing last month amid reports he kicked his 2023 partner Love Island's Zara McDermott in rehearsals, he quickly apologised and branded it a “mistake”.
But in his first interview since his exit from the BBC show, Graziano, 30, presented a very different story. The Italian pro said that the allegations he was abusive to the Love Island star, 27, are “completely untrue”, claiming he once kicked the floor in frustration, but never lashed out at Zara. He said, “I thought we were friends. I will not let these lies define me.” He went on to claim that he and Zara had remained close after the show, with the pair in contact right up until the day he was sacked.
Now, insiders tell heat Zara has been “floored” by Graziano’s “vehement denial” of what went down in the rehearsal room.
“Zara is upset and furious Graziano has massively downplayed his actions in a bid to excuse his behaviour,” says our source. “She’s in total disbelief about how the whole thing has played out.”
When Graziano’s exit was announced, he’d already been cast among the 2024 pro dancers. But claims that he “spat at and hit” Zara during rehearsals forced the BBC to ask him to step down. Zara – who is in a relationship with Sam Thompson – didn’t file the complaint herself, but is said to have cooperated with the BBC after production staff made the allegations amid a wider investigation into behaviour on the show. There is said to be video evidence of rehearsals supporting the claims Graziano was abusive.
Zara released her own statement on social media explaining that, while Strictly had in many ways been a “childhood dream come true”, her experience in the training room was “very different”. She wrote, “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. 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.”
At the time, Graziano appeared remorseful, too, with his spokesperson saying, “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.” But in last week’s interview, the dancer denied what had happened, saying that everything said in the weeks after his exit had been “completely untrue”.
He said, “I’ve never faced moments like this in my life,” before calling the allegations “damaging and something that I didn’t expect at all”. He added, “I’m not a monster. I’m not an abusive man. These vile, false allegations ruined my life in a matter of minutes, professionally, financially, psychologically and reputationally.”
In his interview, Graziano stressed that both he and Zara wanted to go “as far as they could” in the show. The insider says this is true, making it all the more frustrating for Zara that things then ended so badly. “Zara was desperate for her Strictly stint to be a success, and had hoped that trying to forge a friendship with Graziano would override tension in rehearsals – with their partners becoming friends, too. Ultimately, she’s sad and disappointed that her experience was marred by the incidents.”
Zara’s experience clearly hasn’t put off everyone close to her from taking part in the show, however. Pete Wicks – boyfriend Sam’s best friend and podcast co-host – will be donning sequins in the upcoming series. But the new run is bound to drag up hurt feelings for Zara. According to the insider, she’s all too aware that Strictly was a career-defining moment for her, and she worries it’s been sullied.
“The scandal has totally ruined what she saw as a golden opportunity,” we’re told. “It should have been a stepping stone to huge things, but instead, Zara feels like she’ll now only be remembered for the media storm. It is exactly why she was so reticent to go public about this in the first place.”