Zara McDermott was ‘too scared’ to speak up about Strictly ‘abuse’ when BBC warned Graziano Di Prima about his behaviour

ZARA McDermott didn’t speak up about her Strictly partner Graziano Di Prima’s ‘abuse’ because she was “too scared”.

BBC producers are said to have approached the ex-Love Island star after witnessing the professional dancer’s behaviour in rehearsals.

BBC

However, the Mirror reports that Zara insisted she was “fine”.

A source told the paper: “In hindsight, Zara was clearly too scared to speak up and it’s heartbreaking that the full extent of what was happening wasn’t apparent.”

It’s believed Graziano was spoken to by a senior producer over the “bad language” used in training.

However, Zara is understood to have “suffered in silence” as she kept quiet about the extent of his actions.

The source added: “Graziano understood he was being given a warning, and that his conduct had to change.”

Last Graziano, 30, was fired by the BBC following claims he hit, spat at and kicked Zara during rehearsals.