BBC Strictly pro offers support to Graziano Di Prima as co-stars keep their distance
Graziano Di Prima was dropped from Strictly Come Dancing weeks after the BBC show 2024 line-up was revealed.
Strictly star breaks silence on Zara McDermott claims
Graziano Di Prima was supported by his former colleague Katya Jones following the news of his departure from Strictly Come Dancing. The professional dancer released a statement on Sunday (July 14) and confirmed his shock exit saying he "deeply regrets" the events leading up to his exit and acknowledged that his "intense passion and determination to win might have affected my training regime".
A BBC spokesperson has also confirmed that Graziano is "no longer a part of the line-up of professional dancers for the upcoming series". The professional dancer, 31, was axed from the BBC show over reports he "hit and kicked" his former partner Zara McDermott, 27, during rehearsals last year.
His co-star Katya, 35, liked the pro-dancer's full statement which was shared on his Instagram page while his other Strictly colleagues did not react to the online post.
The 2024 lineup confirmed to hit the dancefloor later this year include Katya, Vito Coppola, Nikita Kuzmin, Nancy Xu, Amy Dowden, Carlos Gu, Jowita Przystal, Dianne Buswell, Gorka Marquez, Johannes Raedebe, Kai Waddrington, Karen Hauer, Lauren Oakley, Luba Mushtuk, Michelle Tsiakkas and Aljaz Skorjanec, who has returned to the show after a two year absence.
Express has since revealed the Italian-born star is now living in a remote part of Sicily with his wife and family following his dismissal over allegations he physically and verbally abused his dance partner, Zara McDermott.
He is said to have been left a “broken man” after the allegations emerged and has retreated to a farm he worked on as a child.
A friend of Graziano's told the Express: "He's a broken man. He's literally going back to manual work and is digging trenches around olive trees
"He's gone back to where he came from as a young boy of nine when he worked the land and his life was dealing with goats, olives and grapes.”
The friend added that Graziano's loved ones have urged him to find “some peace in his life” after “losing everything”.
Don't miss...
Graziano Di Prima's one-word response to Zara in unseen Strictly interview [LATEST]
Zara McDermott's telling nickname for Graziano Di Prima - hinting at heartache [INSIGHT]
Strictly's biggest controversies - from axed stars to Ofcom complaints [ROUND UP]
The Strictly performer opened up on his regrets since his show departure, in a statement shared at the weekend.
His former dancer partner Zara shared her own statement saying she had “wrestled with the fear of "opening up” about her experiences in the Strictly training room.
The Love Island star wrote: “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, and so much of my Strictly experience was everything I could have dreamt of...
"However, my 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.
