Strictly Come Dancing star Graziano Di Prima has been sacked from the show by BBC bosses after he kicked and punched his ex-partner Zara McDermott.
The Mail on Sunday can reveal that McDermott, who starred alongside the Italian dancer in last year’s series, was the victim of repeated physical and verbal abuse and constant attacks behind the scenes of the Saturday night show.
She was distressed by his behaviour but did not report it to the BBC; instead, it was junior production staff who came forward to share what they had witnessed while the investigation into Giovanni Pernice was underway.
A Strictly source said: ‘Graziano’s abuse was constant, he would kick and punch her. There were multiple occasions where physical and verbal attacks took place. They were more physical than verbal, but it was all appalling.
“There were times when he did terrible things, it was really horrible. What he did makes Giovanni look like a kitten.”
Sicilian-born Di Prima’s exit comes just weeks after he was introduced in the line-up for the new season, Strictly’s 20th anniversary series, and will be replaced by Aljaž Škorjanec, who returned to the show two years after he quit in a surprise BBC announcement last Monday.
Strictly Come Dancing star Graziano Di Prima has been sacked by BBC bosses after he punched, kicked and verbally abused his ex-partner Zara McDermott.
Ms McDermott, who starred alongside the Italian dancer in last year’s series, was the victim of repeated attacks behind the scenes of the Saturday night show.
And on Wednesday, the Daily Mail revealed that a second complaint had been made to BBC bosses over the inclusion of a freelance dancer on the show, a move that senior figures at the show fear will “seriously damage” its appeal to its millions of fans. One said: “It’s on its knees, this is a crisis.”
The scandal began when a junior member of Strictly’s production team saw the show’s much-loved professional dancer Di Prima physically attack former Love Island contestant turned documentary maker Ms McDermott and was left horrified.
However, they were too scared to say anything for fear that she might be fired from her job, so they kept quiet, but others had also witnessed their unpleasant behavior.
So when the BBC launched an investigation into Di Prima’s Strictly co-star Giovanni Pernice following allegations by Amanda Abbington that he had harassed her, they knew it was their chance to speak out.
Earlier this month, Ms McDermott agreed to attend a meeting with BBC human resources chiefs and, after consultation with senior management at the corporation, Di Prima was dismissed.
The source added: “It was awful for Zara, she had been through some very unpleasant times at the hands of Graziano during the series last year. She is still distraught about it all happening but I give her credit for speaking out about it.”
Sherlock actress Amanda Abbington has complained about Giovanni Pernice’s behaviour during the final series of the show, which he left early.
Junior production staff came forward to share what they had witnessed happen between Di Prima and Ms. McDermott.
‘There was no doubt that Graziano had to go. It has been terrible for Zara, but those around her are very proud of her for having done this. It is not always easy to talk about this kind of behaviour. Credit must also go to the production staff who saw what was happening and reported it.
“The BBC also dealt with this quickly.”
Yesterday a Strictly spokesperson confirmed Di Prima’s departure in a statement which read: ‘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 are raised we will always take them seriously and act quickly as appropriate.
Shortly before, Graziano had made his own attempt to make his voice heard with an Instagram post in which he admitted wrongdoing. In a post that was quickly deleted, he wrote: “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.”
Di Prima, who joined Strictly in 2018 and was previously paired with DJ Vick Hope, Loose Women star Judi Love and IN 2022 made it to the quarter-finals with actor Kym Marsh, was eliminated in week six of the 2023 series.
The BBC’s swift action to sack Di Prima raises the question of why they have not yet made a decision on Pernice, who has been the subject of a BBC investigation since May following claims by former Sherlock star Ms Abbington that he had hurt her toe.
Sources close to Pernice say he fully expects to be exonerated, but there is anger at having been forced to wait so long. Sources close to Pernice also say the widened investigation will portray Pernice, 33, as a potential “minor fish” in Strictly’s potential downfall.
A friend of the star said: “It’s now outrageous that he has to wait so long. The BBC has shown it can be efficient and deal with these matters and sort them out quickly, but Gio’s experience has been a nightmare.”
He left the show after nine years following allegations by former Sherlock actress Amanda Abbington that he harassed her during training.
In May it was revealed that she had hired London law firm Carter Ruck to represent her against the BBC.
An informed source said of the investigation: ‘Isn’t it baffling that the BBC can so easily make a decision, dismiss and sack Graziano when there is real misconduct, but not so easily make a decision on Amanda’s unsubstantiated allegations?’
“What happened to Zara puts Amanda’s claims seriously into perspective – it all seems very, very minuscule.”
The abuse certainly puts the future of Saturday night’s favourite under threat as it prepares for its 20th anniversary in a matter of weeks.
BBC bosses are in crisis mode and are fully aware that getting the next series off the ground and putting the scandals behind them will be “very difficult, if not impossible,” says a source close to the show.
“It’s a mess,” they added. “The future looks bleak – it was a bright, charming and happy show, but now some dark aspects are coming to light.”
‘There will have to be an incredibly good line-up on this year’s show to save Strictly.’
Strictly is now expected to come under heavy scrutiny after it emerged that it has not been carrying out psychological tests on its celebrity contestants, unlike other shows including its ITV rival Dancing On Ice.
Some of the show’s stars have already admitted that the BBC has failed in its duty of care towards them.
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