Ex-Strictly contestant Zara McDermott has broken her silence on the firing of her former partner Graziano Di Prima, saying that watching videos back of her time on the show has been “incredibly distressing.”
Di Prima has left the lineup of the BBC stalwart this year after allegations of “gross misconduct” against one of his female celebrity partners, which was quickly revealed to be McDermott, a former Love Island contestant who has helmed a number of BBC documentaries. Di Prima has apologized and said he “deeply regrets the events.”
Posting on Instagram today, McDermott said: “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.”
While “the entire production team and everyone behind the scenes as well as my fellow contestants were so amazing to work with,” McDermott said her “experience inside the training room was very different,” adding that “there were witnesses to some events as well as videos of particular incidents which are incredibly distressing to watch.”
McDermott thanked the BBC and producer BBC Studios for their “swift action and incredibly high level of support.” “Strictly is one of the most magical shows on TV and one that I dreamt of being on since I was a little girl,” she added.
Di Prima’s exit in these circumstances has landed another blow on the BBC’s most popular entertainment show, this year celebrating its 20th anniversary, still one of the UK’s most popular TV exports with versions of Dancing With the Stars showing in countries across the world.
Another popular dancer Giovanni Pernice has announced he is to leave the show, following allegations by a celebrity partner, actress Amanda Abbington, that she suffered PTSD after training with him. Pernice denies all reports of inappropriate behaviour, and the BBC’s investigation is continuing.