Graziano Di Prima’s family say the former Strictly professional dancer is under medical supervision after being axed from the show.The dancer was dropped by the BBC earlier this month after claims he ‘kicked and spat’ at his co-star Zara McDermott.
Last night, more allegations were made about their training sessions with reports Zara broke her leg in rehearsals and continued to dance. The former Love Island star is said to have only shared the incident now as part of an ongoing BBC inquiry.
Speaking to the Mirror, Graziano’s family said: âGraziano is currently under medical supervision, with the stress of the situation causing significant concern for his family, who are monitoring him hourly. The unrelenting feeding frenzy over these accusations and his mental state leaves him at this time unable to defend himself.”
The dancer has returned to his native Sicily. Last night, it was revealed that Zara broke a leg bone in training for the BBC series and continued to dance. She is said to have told Graziano about her pain but the pair agreed to continue.
Graziano told the Mirror: âBBC physios were present all week, monitoring the situation and were aware of the pain. I received no guidance on the severity of any injuries, and from what I understood, Zara wanted to continue dancing.â
When confirming his axe from the show, Graziano said: âI deeply regret the events 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.”
He then added: “When the time is right, I will share my story.”
The director-general of the BBC has apologised to Strictly Come Dancing contestants who have had an experience that âhasnât been wholly positiveâ. Tim Davie told journalists that there will inevitably be âcompetitiveness, hard work and the will to do wellâ on the show, âbut there are limits and the line should never be crossedâ.
He added: âWe will never tolerate unacceptable behaviour of any kind.â
Asked if he is confident the show will go ahead this series, he said: âI need to be assured we have the right safeguarding and duty of care in place, and that is the first question I ask. I am assured by the robust actions we have taken in terms of the changes we have made ⌠that we are in a position to deliver a very good season this year and that has been my focus.â
He continued: âWith that assurance, Iâm looking forward to the next season.â Addressing how he felt when the allegations first emerged about the show, he said he was âdisappointedâ.
He added: âIâm very sorry that anyone has had an experience on Strictly that hasnât been wholly positive, I think that is something we do reflect on, and Iâm sorry about that.â
Mr Davie told journalists: âStrictly is a wonderful show that brings a lot of joy to a lot of people, and has done so for 20 years, to both those involved with the show itself and to millions of people at home. Hundreds of people, be they pros, contestants or crew, have been part of it and had a brilliant experience.
âAt the same time, if someone feels there was something wrong or they wanted to talk about their experience, then, of course, we want them to raise that with us and be in no doubt, we will take it seriously, listen and deal with it as appropriate. While Iâm not going to talk about individuals, you can see evidence of that in recent weeks. So, I hope that anyone who does want to talk to us feels they can.
âIt is 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 these last week. It is essential these are right for everyone. Of course, alongside the fun and entertainment, there will be a degree of competitiveness, hard work, and a will to do well, thatâs part of what makes this show. But there are limits and the line should never be crossed.
âWe will never tolerate unacceptable behaviour of any kind.â
On Monday, former contestant Will Bayley said he suffered serious injury while performing a jump in rehearsals for the programme, and has claimed there was âno duty of careâ. The Paralympian has said producers were told the jump from a table during a routine was too dangerous, but he was encouraged to do it anyway, and after he was injured show bosses made him feel as though it was his fault.
His torn knee ligaments forced him to pull out of the series in 2019. The table tennis player is the latest star to speak about his experiences on the show, after concerns were raised about the treatment of contestants Amanda Abbington and Zara McDermott.
Abbington has described professional Giovanni Perniceâs behaviour as âunnecessary, abusive, cruel and meanâ. He denies the claims.
On July 16 the BBC said it would introduce measures to âstrengthen welfare and supportâ on the show, including a chaperone who will be present âat all timesâ during training room rehearsals.
Responding to Bayleyâs comments, Mr Davie said: âThe door is always open for people to come to the BBC and discuss things we can do to improve, but overall I think we have the systems and processes in place and we are updating and changing it. I think we can deliver the show successfully this season.â
Asked if the BBC had taken its eye off the ball with events that had gone on in the training room, he said: âThere are clearly learnings, specifically with oversight of the training rooms, that we need to address. With the benefit of hindsight, you always say could we have done more?
âThe measures we have taken, I believe, are an appropriate and fair response.â
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