Graziano Di Prima goes back to normal job working for £6 an hour after Strictly axe and fleeing the UK
FALLEN Strictly star Graziano Di Prima is earning £6 an hour picking grapes in his native Sicily.
The Italian has taken a job on a farm, ploughing fields and “living with cows” as he reels from the BBC show fall-out.
The dancer has told pals he is “mentally shot” after video emerged of him kicking and spitting his former celebrity partner, Zara McDermott.
A source told The Sun: “Graziano has lost everything.
“He is in pieces and filled with remorse. He knows, quite rightly, there is no way back for him in showbiz in the UK. His Strictly dancing career is over.
“He’s fled back home and is living on a farm, earning a pittance, and throwing himself into manual labour.
“He says he is literally living next to some cows- it’s an astonishing fall from grace.”
Graziano, 30, was fired by the BBC following claims he hit, spat at and kicked Zara during rehearsals.
The Sun told how the BBC had been warned twice about Graziano’s conduct towards Zara during their training sessions last year.
Zara is understood to have been “too scared” to speak out.
In a statement released after Graziano’s sacking, Zara said: “Reports have been made about my treatment on the show and there were witnesses to some events, as well as videos of particular incidents which are incredibly distressing to watch.
“I have wrestled with the fear of opening up – I was scared about public backlash, I was scared about my future, I was scared of victim shaming.
“But after a lot of conversations with those I love, I’ve gained the strength to face these fears, and when I was asked to speak to the BBC, I spoke candidly about my time on the show.”
Zara added: “The culture within our society makes it difficult for people to speak up, especially in a world where social media opinions and voices are so loud.
“This is something I’ve seen through working with countless women on my documentaries.
“I would like to thank the BBC & BBC Studios for their swift action and incredibly high level of support, as well as everyone who has reached out to me – it really truly means a lot. Love, always. Zara.”