Strictly professional dancer Graziano Di Prima has been sacked by the BBC following allegations of serious misconduct towards his former partner Zara McDermott.
The Mail on Sunday can reveal the Italian star was interviewed by bosses of the Saturday night dance show this week and had her contract terminated.
A since-deleted message on Graziano’s Instagram read: ‘My intense passion and determination to win may have affected my training regime.’
A source from the show said: “Graziano had to leave. It’s been awful.”
His departure came at the same time as Strictly announced that its much-loved professional Aljaž Škorjanec had returned to the show two years after he quit.
Graziano joined Strictly in 2018 and was partnered with Love Island star Zara last year, but they were eliminated in week six.
Zara McDermott, 26, pictured with her Strictly co-star Graziano Di Prima, 29, before they were eliminated during Halloween week.
Zara McDermott stuns in a lilac jumpsuit alongside her Strictly co-star Graziano Di Prima
Love Island’s Zara McDermott was spotted with her Strictly partner Graziano Di Prima in 2023
Graziano Di Prima kisses his wife Giada Lini, who is an Italian dancer
A message that was apparently posted on Graziano’s Instagram and quickly deleted read: “I deeply regret the events that led to my departure from Strictly. My intense passion and determination to win may have affected my training regime.
‘While I respect the BBC’s HR process, I recognise that it is only right, for the sake of the programme, that I step away. I am saddened that I have not been allowed to provide a quote to Online News and I appreciate the sensitivity of the situation. There is more to this story that I cannot speak about at the moment, but I am committed to being strong for my family and friends. I wish the Strictly family nothing but success in the future.’
Graziano married his long-time partner, Giada, on the island of Sicily, where he grew up.
Professional dancer Giada, originally from Venice, stars on Dancing With The Stars in Italy, and the pair have previously confessed that spending time apart due to their conflicting schedules is “difficult”.
But Italian heartthrob Graziano says they want to wait “a few years” before starting a family.
Graziano joined Strictly’s cast of professional dancers in 2018.
He was previously paired with presenter Vick Hope, Loose Women star Judi Love and in 2022 he reached the quarter-finals with actor Kym Marsh.
Graziano’s sacking has added further turmoil to Strictly, which is considered the jewel in the corporation’s crown and is still watched by more than ten million people.
The complaint was recently filed and prompted the BBC to expand its ongoing investigation into allegations that Giovanni Pernice had bullied teammate Amanda Abbington during training.
Sources at the show say Graziano’s behaviour makes Amanda’s claims that Giovanni stubbed her toe during rehearsals seem “minuscule”.
The complaint was not made by Zara herself, but came after several members of Strictly’s production staff raised Graziano’s behaviour with their bosses.
BBC bosses then contacted the journalist’s management and invited her to be interviewed about her behaviour.
A source said: “It was during that meeting that everything unfolded.”
One said: ‘It seems that whatever Gio has done has opened Pandora’s box.
“It’s incredibly brave of Zara to come forward – it’s never easy for a woman or anyone who has been abused to do that.”
Zara McDermott (right) and Graziano Di Prime dance in matching white outfits during a dress rehearsal for the BBC show.
Graziano Di Prima (left) dances with former Strictly partner, Loose Women star Judi Love (right) in 2021
Di Prima (left) reached the quarter-finals of the dance show with actor Kym Marsh (right) in 2022
Zara rose to fame on Love Island and has since become a documentary presenter for the BBC.
In 2021, she revealed how revenge porn had made her consider suicide after a boy shared nude photos of her at her school when she was just 14.
Her boyfriend Sam Thompson won ITV’s I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here in 2023, beating Tony Bellew and Nigel Farage to be crowned King of the Jungle.
But sources claim the couple have recently been in “crisis talks”.
Sicilian-born Graziano was named in the list of professionals revealed by the BBC last month.
He was also set to be paired with a celebrity until Strictly bosses contacted him to question him about his behaviour towards Zara.
It also resolves why the BBC quietly brought Aljaz back to the show. Some within the BBC have questioned why he was not featured alongside the other professionals, particularly as the BBC left fans waiting for some weeks after Pernice’s departure before releasing the final list.
Insiders also pointed out that the press was not given any notice, but that the announcement was made on the BBC magazine programme, The One Show, on Monday night.
A source said: ‘Normally when something like this happens the BBC alerts the wider media but this time the first person to find out about it was a chat with Aljaž on The One Show and then it was quietly posted in the BBC press centre at 7.30pm the same day.
Amanda Abbington and Giovanni Pernice during a live show for Strictly Come Dancing in 2023
Presenter Laura Whitmore and dancer and choreographer Giovanni Pernice
Much-loved professional Aljaž Škorjanec (pictured) has returned to the show two years after leaving.
‘That meant the announcement was in line with the narrative the BBC wanted, there were no questions asked about why they were revealing it now.’
Sources close to Giovanni now say that he hopes the investigation into him will speed up and he will soon get a result so he can move on with his life.
A BBC spokesperson confirmed Graziano had been sacked, saying: “We can confirm that Graziano Di Prima is no longer part of the line-up of professional dancers for the upcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing. “While we would never comment on individual cases, it is well known that the BBC has robust duty of care procedures in place and if issues arise we will always take them seriously and act quickly as appropriate.”