Several former Strictly Come Dancing stars have shown support for Graziano Di Prima after his departure from the show.
The 30-year-old professional dancer has left the BBC Latin and ballroom competition following claims of ‘physical incidents’, which have been investigated internally.
There are also allegations he ‘kicked and hit’ his dance partner Zara McDermott when they were training for last year’s series.
Before the latest allegations regarding Zara were reported, several stars had spoken out in support of Graziano, including former Coronation Street actress Catherine Tyldesley.
‘What nooooo,’ she commented alongside heartbroken emojis after the announcing he was leaving the show, while 2019 winner Kelvin Fletcher replied with a love heart emoji.
Strictly pros Neil Jones and Katya Jones both ‘liked’ the post, while Susannah Constantine described Graziano as ‘sweet, kind, funny and thoughtful’ during her time on the show in 2018.
Graziano and Zara are no longer following each other on Instagram, but his other former dance partners on the show – Kym Marsh, Judi Love and Vick Hope – are still following him on the social media platform.
Following allegations of ‘physical incidents’ made against him, he wrote in the statement posted on Instagram: ‘I deeply regret the actions that led to my departure from Strictly. My intense passion and determination to win might have affected my training regime.
‘Respecting the BBC HR process, I understand it’s best for the show that I step away. While there are aspects of this story involving external influences that I can’t discuss at this time, I remain committed to being strong for my family and friends.
‘I wish the Strictly family and the BBC nothing but success in the future. I also want to thank everyone who has supported my career, both professionally and personally. When the time is right, I will share my story.’
The BBC confirmed the 30-year-old’s exit from Strictly in a statement, which read: ‘We can confirm that Graziano Di Prima is no longer a 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 established and robust duty of care procedures, and if issues are raised we will always take them seriously and act swiftly as appropriate.’
The news of Graziano’s exit from Strictly came after it was announced that he would be in the professional dancer line-up for the upcoming 2024 series, which will mark the show’s 20th anniversary.
In a new update, it’s been alleged that Graziano reportedly ‘kicked and hit’ Zara while they were training for Strictly.
According to The Mail on Sunday, former Love Island star Zara, 27, experienced repeated ‘physical and verbal abuse’ behind the scenes of the show.
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When contacted for comment by Metro.co.uk, Graziano’s representative referred to the earlier statement that the dancer posted on Instagram.
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