Strictly's Vito Coppola breaks silence on Graziano Di Prima axe and future of friendship
Strictly Come Dancing star Vito Coppola said he still has a lot of love for his friend and former co-star Graziano Di Prima, who has been axed from the upcoming series.
Strictly Come Dancing's reigning professional Vito Coppola has broken his silence about his pal Graziano Di Prima's axe from the show. The latter was given the boot from the upcoming series following allegations about his behaviour towards his 2023 celebrity partner Zara McDermott.
Via his spokesperson, the 30-year-old confessed to kicking his former dance partner in rehearsals and apologised to her at the time. He later told the Daily Mail: "I didn't deliberately hurt anyone. I am not a monster. I am not an abusive man."
Breaking his silence on Graziano's exit, Vito, 31, insisted their friendship was still going strong. Speaking with Notebook Magazine, he shared: "I love him and I will love him forever."
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After the allegations about Graziano's behaviour were made public, Zara released a lengthy statement on Instagram.
As part of her message, she told fans: "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 incredible distressing to watch."
She went on to say that she didn't report the incidents at the time as she was "scared" of backlash.
"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," she added.
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"I would like to thank the BBC and BBC Studios for their swift action and incredibly high level of support, as well as everyone who has reached out to me - it really truly means a lot. Love, always. Zara."
Amongst the controversy, Giovanni Pernice was also not invited back to the show after Amanda Abbington accused him of "cruel" behaviour in rehearsals.
He has denied all allegations against him and has participated in an internal investigation into the matter.
According to The Sun, the BBC are now under pressure to get the probe finalised before the new series kicks off.
The 2024 series marks the show's 20th year on screens.
Professionals returning to the dance floor include; Vito, Dianne Buswell, Katya Jones, Johannes Radebe and the return of Aljaž Škorjanec.
The 15 new celebrities also fighting for the Glitterball trophy are; Chris McCausland, JB Gill, Wynne Evans, Toyah Willcox, Dr Punam Krishan, Tasha Ghouri, Pete Wicks, Shayne Ward, Sarah Hadland, Jamie Borthwick, Tom Dean MBE, Montell Douglas aka Fire, Nick Knowles, Sam Quek MBE and Paul Merson.
A date for the new series is yet to be announced, but it is expected to return later this month.
Catch Vito on Celebrity Masterchef tonight at 8pm on BBC One.
