by Graziano Di Prima’s family say the former professional Strictly dancer is under medical supervision after quitting the show. The BBC dropped the dancer earlier this month after he claimed he ‘kicked’ and groped co-star Zara McDermott.
Last night, more allegations were made about her training sessions and reports that Zara broke her leg during rehearsals and continued to dance. The incident shared by the former Love Island star is now said to be part of an ongoing BBC investigation.
Speaking to the Mirror, Graziano’s family said: “Graziano is currently under medical supervision, and the stress of the situation is a huge concern for his family, who are monitoring him around the clock. Due to the relentless feeding frenzy over these accusations and his mental state he is unable to defend himself at this time.”
The dancer has returned to his native Sicily. Last night, it was revealed that Zara broke a leg bone while training for the BBC series and continued to dance. She reportedly told Graziano about her pain but the two agreed to continue.
Graziano told the Mirror: “The BBC physios were there all week, monitoring the situation and they were aware of the pain. I didn’t get any guidance on the severity of any injuries, and from what I understood, Zara wanted to keep dancing.”
Confirming his ax from the show, Graziano said: “I regret the events that led to my departure from Strictly. My intense passion and determination to win may influence my training regime. While I respect the BBC’s HR process, I understand that it was the best thing for the show that I left.”
He then said: “When the time is right, I will share my story.”
The director general of the BBC has apologized to Strictly Come Dancing contestants who had a “not entirely positive” experience. Tim Davie told journalists that the show will undoubtedly have “competitiveness, hard work and the will to do well”, “but there are limits and the line should not be crossed”.
He added: “We will never tolerate unacceptable behavior of any kind.”
Asked if he’s confident the show will go ahead with this series, he said: “I need to make sure we have the right safeguards and duty of care in place, and that’s the first question I ask . I’m sure because of the strong actions we’ve taken in terms of the changes we’ve made … we’re able to deliver a very good season this year and that’s what I’ve focused on.”
He continued: “With that assurance, I’m looking forward to next season.” Addressing how he felt when the allegations first surfaced about the show, he said he was “disappointed”.
He added: “I’m very sorry that anyone has had an experience on Strictly that hasn’t been entirely positive, I think it’s something we do consider, and I’m sorry about that.”
Mr Davie told journalists: “Strictly is a fantastic show that brings a lot of joy to a lot of people, and has done for 20 years, to those involved in the show itself and to millions of people at home. Hundreds of people, whether runners, competitors or crew, were involved and had a great experience.
“At the same time, if someone feels that something was wrong or they wanted to talk about their experience, then, of course, we want them to raise that with us and without a doubt, we will take it seriously , we will listen and deal with it. with him as appropriate. Although I’m not going to talk about individuals, you can see evidence of that in recent weeks. So, I hope that anyone who wants to talk to us feels that they can.
“It’s vital that we have the right protocols and structures in place for the show. We keep these under review, and as you know, we confirmed changes to them last week. It is essential that these are correct for everyone. Of course, along with the fun and entertainment, there will be some competitiveness, hard work, and a will to do well, that’s part of what makes the show. But there are limits and the line should never be crossed.
“We will never tolerate unacceptable behavior of any kind.”
On Monday, former contestant Will Bayley said he suffered a serious injury while doing a jump in rehearsals for the programme, and claimed there was “no duty of care”. The Paralympian said he was told by producers that jumping off a table during a routine was too dangerous, but was encouraged to do it anyway, and after he was injured show bosses told him it was his own fault .
Torn knee ligaments forced him to pull out of the series in 2019. The table tennis player is the latest star to speak out about his experience on the show, following concerns about the treatment of contestant Amanda Abbington and Zara McDermott.
Abbington described Giovanni Pernice’s professional conduct as “unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean”. He denies the claims.
On July 16 the BBC said it would introduce measures to “strengthen interest and support” on the show, including a guardian who will be present “at all times” during training room rehearsals.
Responding to Bayley’s comments, Mr Davie said: “The door is always open for people to come to the BBC and talk about things we can do to improve, but overall I think the systems and the processes we have in place and we are updating and changing them. . I think we can successfully deliver the show this season.”
When asked if the BBC had taken its eye off the ball with events in the training room, he said: “There are clearly learning issues, particularly in terms of overseeing the training rooms, that we have to address. with them. Looking back, you always say could we have done more?
“I believe the measures we have taken are an appropriate and fair response.”
