GRAZIANO Di Prima claims his life was ruined by the “vile, false allegations” that saw him booted from Strictly Come Dancing.
The professional dancer’s family will not let him out of their sight as they fight to prosecute Zara McDermott’s abuse allegations.
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Graziano Di Prima has spoken out about allegations of abuse by former dance partner Zara McDermottCredit: PA
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Graziano with Zara’s boyfriend Sam Thompson and Strictly 2024 star Pete Wicks Credit: Instagram
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Zara hasn’t spoken to Graziano since he was booted from StrictlyCredit: zara_mcdermott/Instagram
“I thought we were friends. We were friends,” Graziano told the Daily Mail.
“I’m not a monster. I’m not an abuser. I’m not going to let those lies define me. They’re not who I am.”
Graziano was axed from the hit BBC show last month amid claims he punched, kicked and spat at Zara.
There have also been anonymous complaints from “third parties” – but Graziano says the BBC has left him in the dark.
He says channel bosses have declined to provide any further details due to the “confidential nature of the circumstances”.
The 30-year-old added: “These vile, false allegations destroyed my life in minutes – professionally, financially, psychologically and reputationally.
“I can be strict, I can be passionate. I want my partner to go as far as possible. Zara wanted that too.”
Zara broke a bone in her leg in tough training for the final series, but the 27-year-old was oblivious and danced through the pain until she and Graziano were eliminated.
Show bosses only found out the extent of the injuries two weeks ago when Zara spoke to private investigators amid an investigation into the dancers’ behaviour.
Her knee injury was not my fault, claims Graziano.
The fall of Graziano Di Prima from a brand new job
– That’s why I’m telling you that they put me under the bus.
Instead, Graziano insists he was scratching his head over what Zara found “incredibly disturbing” to see on tape.
“The only thing I can remember is when I kicked the floor in frustration,” he says.
“We practiced hour after hour to perfect the lifting routine. It wasn’t easy, but that’s the pressure of the show.
“I didn’t mean to kick her. I would never, ever do that. I brushed her with my foot after I hit the floor. I hugged her afterwards and said I was sorry. There was no problem. We carried on.
“Her statement was so, so shocking to me because she never said she was embarrassed or unhappy.”
Graziano was supported by his wife Giada – admitting she doesn’t know what would have happened if he had been alone.
“Maybe I wouldn’t talk to you now,” he says.
“I didn’t stop shaking for a month, in those first days I had ugly thoughts [about suicide].”
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Graziano added: “Right now, my reputation is zero and it will take a superhuman effort to get out of this hole.
“But I believe that the truth always wins in the end. I am determined not to let mine and my family’s life be destroyed.”
It was revealed last night that Strictly Professionals will be forced to undergo anti-bullying training after the show descended into chaos.
Graziano’s former colleague Giovanni Pernice is also under investigation following complaints of abuse by his partner Amanda Abbington.
Now BBC insiders have revealed that dancers’ contracts have been changed to force mandatory training.
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Graziano is supported by his wife GiadaCredit: Getty
Strictly’s full scandal so far
The scandal surrounding Strictly Come Dancing has been growing over the past few months, with several of the main players speaking out about what happened. Here are the key moments of what has happened so far
May 16: Giovanni Pernice makes a sensational exit from Strictly Come Dancing after nine years on the show.
May 17: Giovanni becomes the focus of an official investigation after three former partners – believed to be Amanda Abbington, Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh – complain to the BBC.
June 16: Giovanni releases an official statement promising to clear his name and denying any wrongdoing.
July 8: Strictly confirms that Aljaz Skorjanec will return to the series, replacing Giovanni, after originally leaving the series two years ago.
July 10: Amanda Abbington launches new legal action to obtain rehearsal footage from her time with Giovanni, after he allegedly refused to release the videos.
July 13: Graziano Di Prima is booted from Strictly for “gross misconduct” after footage of his behavior towards Zara McDermott was provided to the BBC.
Graziano quickly broke his silence, apologizing for his behavior in a statement and saying he “deeply regrets it,” adding that his “intense passion and determination to win may have affected his training regimen.”
July 15: Strictly bosses implement new care protocols, including the presence of a chaperone during all rehearsals.
July 16: Zara McDermott speaks publicly for the first time. She states that while the production team was “amazing to work with”, she found the rehearsal room “completely different”, confirming that there are recordings of “certain situations”.
July 19: Anton Du Beke has been put under the spotlight for his “1970s attitude” and treatment of celebrity stars, particularly after he allegedly called 2009 partner Laila Rouass a “p***” after she tanned.
July 21: Paralympian Will Bayley, who has arthrogryposis, revealed he was encouraged to jump off the table during a dance routine, despite his fears. The stunt caused an injury that forced him to withdraw from the show.
July 22: MasterChef’s Gregg Wallace admits he burst into tears and developed a nasty facial rash during his time on Strictly 2014.
July 22: Despite ongoing issues, the Strictly Professional cast begins rehearsals for this year’s series.
July 23: Celebrity agent Melanie Blake claims she was sexually assaulted by an unnamed professional dancer while backstage at a show and claims she witnessed ageist behavior, rudeness and rough treatment to the point of injury.
July 23: Strictly is forced to beef up security after ‘an intruder climbed a rehearsal studio wall’.
July 23: BBC boss Tim Davie breaks his silence on the ongoing allegations against Strictly, saying he was ‘deeply sorry’, adding: “Hundreds of people, whether they were professionals, contestants or crew, took part in it and had a brilliant experience.
“At the same time, if someone thinks something is wrong or wants to talk about their experience, of course we want them to raise it with us. Don’t doubt that we will take it seriously, listen and deal with it as appropriate.”
July 24: Strictly 2023 star Krishnan Guru-Murthy gives an interview to Amanda Abbington on Channel 4 News, where she claims she was bullied, with some of the ‘humiliation being of a sexual nature’.
July 27: Laura Whitmore releases a statement regarding her Strictly experience, saying “I thought my experience was specific to me, but I’ve since realized I was wrong”.
She adds that she is not part of the official complaint, but she, along with others, went to meet Amanda with the BBC.
July 28: Laila Rouass speaks out against allegations regarding Anton Du Beke, saying she “never felt pressure” from him and that she “personally insisted on six to seven hours of training a day”.
August 10: Graziano breaks his silence on his Strictly axe, saying “these vile, false allegations have ruined my life.”
He also told about the “shocking” end of his friendship with Zara McDermott.
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