Former Strictly star Graziano Di Prima has broken his silence in a new interview after he was axed from the hit BBC show.
The 30-year-old dancer made headlines last month after bosses found footage of him kicking his celeb partner from last year, Zara McDermott.
He was immediately axed from the show after initially being announced to return for the upcoming 2024 series. While she didn’t say anything prior, TV star Zara admitted she feared “public backlash” and “victim shaming” if she spoke up.
Following rehearsal footage found of Graziano kicking Zara, he was axed from Strictly (Credit: BBC)
Strictly star Graziano Di Prima states ‘false’ allegations ‘ruined my life’
In a new interview with MailOnline, Graziano fights back, stating he “didn’t deliberately hurt anyone.”
He continued: “I’m not a monster. I’m not an abusive man.”
Graziano described the allegations as “vile” and “false” and insisted they “ruined my life in a matter of minutes – professionally, financially, psychologically and reputationally.”
“The only thing I can think of is the time I kicked the floor in frustration. We’d practised hour after hour to perfect a routine with lifts. It wasn’t easy but that’s the pressure of the show.”
Graziano added: “I wasn’t meaning to kick her. I’d never, never do that. My foot brushed her after I kicked the floor. Afterwards I hugged her and said I was sorry. There was no problem. We carried on.”
Following the accusations, Graziano revealed he not an ‘abusive’ man (Credit: Splashnews.com)
‘Graziano is currently under medical supervision’
The interview follows after the Mirror revealed that his family announced Graziano was under medical care and being monitored hourly after being let go from the show.
“Graziano is currently under medical supervision, with the stress of the situation causing significant concern for his family, who are monitoring him hourly,” they said.
“The unrelenting feeding frenzy over these accusations and his mental state leaves him at this time unable to defend himself.”
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Source: USA Today
