Strictly staff fear the axe after ‘nobody told bosses’ about Graziano Di Prima kicking Zara McDermott
THOSE working on scandal-hit Strictly Come Dancing fear they could lose their job for not coming forward about alleged abusive behaviour they witnessed.
It’s after “nobody told bosses” about Graziano Di Prima’s kicking his dance partner Zara McDermott in rehearsals.
He was fired for gross misconduct when the claims emerged in the inquiry into fellow pro Giovanni Pernice.
Graziano has since admitted kicking Zara during rehearsals and is now working on a farm in Italy for £6 an hour.
Investigations continue as more celebrities come forward with complaints.
It has sparked concern behind the scenes as staff worry those who didn’t flag concerning incidents will be under fire.
A source told The Sun: “Everyone worries that if incidents they have witnessed, but not reported, get bought up, they’ll be in the firing line.”
After being approached for comment, a BBC spokesman said: “We will not be commenting on individuals or engaging in speculation.
“However, as we have said previously we will always listen if people want to make us aware of something or raise it with us directly and we have appropriate procedures and processes in place to manage this.”
Strictly professional dancers arrived to start training for the new series yesterday.
However, BBC chiefs consider a cull of long-serving dancers after alleged abusive behaviour on the show.
Up to five professionals could face the axe next year in the wake of the scandal surrounding Giovanni and Graziano.
Director General of the BBC, Tim Davie, today apologised over the alleged abusive behaviour on the show.
Davie continued: “It 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.
“That’s part of what makes this show – but there are limits and the line should never be crossed.
“We will never tolerate unacceptable behaviour of any kind.”
Drastic measures to safeguard contestants were announced last week after executives rushed to toughen up the show’s duty of care rules.
Pushed on why stricter protocols weren’t implemented sooner, Davie replied: “I think that is something we do reflect on and I’m sorry about that.
“I think that there are clearly learnings regarding oversights in the training rooms that we have needed to address.”
“With the benefit of hindsight, you always look at these things and think we could have done more, of course you could, but the key thing here is you address the situation.
“The measures we’ve taken, I believe, are an appropriate and fair response to what we know now in terms of making sure that the training rooms we have the right oversight and that people have a positive experience coming through the show.”