Graziano Di Prima spokesman confirms Strictly Come Dancing kick 'mistake'
The Italian dancer's spokesman said he 'deeply regrets' an 'isolated incident' involving himself and his celebrity partner Zara McDermott, ITV News Entertainment Reporter Rishi Davda reports
Strictly Come Dancing's Graziano Di Prima kicked his celebrity partner Zara McDermott once during rehearsals last year, his spokesman has confirmed.
Mark Borkowski said that Di Prima "deeply regrets" an "isolated incident" involving himself and McDermott, adding that he has been left "in a very vulnerable state".
In a statement, Mr Borkowski 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."
Mr Borkowski had earlier told 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."
A spokesperson for McDermott told ITV News: "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 and, as such, any suggestion to the contrary would be entirely false."
Earlier this month, it was confirmed that Italian dancer Di Prima would not be returning as part of the BBC show's 2024 professional line-up.
In a statement at the time, Di Prima said that his "intense passion and determination to win might have affected" his training regime while competing in the dance competition.
"I deeply regret the events that led to my departure from Strictly," he said.
Di Prima added: "I wish the Strictly family and the BBC nothing but success in the future."
Former Love Island star and and documentary maker McDermott, who was paired with Di Prima in the most recent series, said she "wrestled with the fear of opening up" about her time on the show because she feared "public backlash" and "victim shaming".
She said: "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."
It comes as separate allegations have been made against fellow professional dancer Giovanni Pernice over his training methods.
Pernice has denied "any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour".
The BBC has since announced that a member of the Strictly production team will be present "at all times" during training room rehearsals.
The corporation said it is announcing "additional steps to strengthen welfare and support", after concerns "have arisen in recent months" that are "fundamentally about training and rehearsals".
Included within the new measures is the addition of a celebrity welfare producer and a professional dancer welfare producer, while further training will also be offered to members of the production team.
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