Strictly’s Alison Hammond breaks silence on Graziano Di Prima axe & reveals how often pros are left alone with celebs
STRICTLY star Hammond broke her silence on Graziano Di Prima’s sacking as she revealed her experience during training.
The This Morning presenter, 49, appeared as a contestant in 2014 and was partnered by Aljaz Skorjanec, who is returning to the show later this year after a two-year hiatus.
Alison, who appeared on the 12th series of the BBC dance show, said she always felt “secure and safe” with her pro teacher Alijaz.
However, she believes chaperones may need to be introduced to help safeguard future contestants in light of recent claims by celeb contestants.
It comes after Zara McDermott, 27, took to Instagram on Tuesday after axed pro-Graziano, 30, was fired by the BBC following claims he hit, spat and kicked her during rehearsals.
Presenters Alison and Dermot O’Leary kicked off the ITV programme by addressing the Strictly scandal.
Alison revealed that contestants were alone with their pros for just two days out of five during her series.
Alison told viewers: “What the BBC are now discussing are to have chaperones in the training room now, which I actually personally think is a good idea.”
Dermot asked: “Did you want a chaperone when you did it?”
Alison explained “Obviously not, I don’t want a chaperone, you just want to enjoy it.
“To be fair there was always people present because there was always a camera.
“Well, there wasn’t always, probably out of the five days of training a week, you probably have cameras at the studio with you for maybe three of those days.”
Dermot then asked: “You felt safe and secure?”
Alison replied: “Absolutely, I had Alijaz and he made me feel safe and secure.”
She praised the dancer from Slovenia, saying: “He was a brilliant teacher, I loved working with him. I never had any issues ever.
“But there was always people around filming the rehearsals, there was probably just two days a week that I was alone with Alijaz rehearsing.
“But I personally wouldn’t mind having a chaperone, if it’s going to safeguard people.”
It comes as Italian dancer Graziano fled the UK amid more claims that Zara “passed out” during rehearsals.
Zara responded in a statement and said she was “scared to speak up” during filming.
She said: “I felt it was right that I post something regarding the recent media reports.
“Strictly is one of the most magical shows on TV and one that I dreamt of being on since I was a little girl.
“When I was invited to be a contestant on the show it really was a childhood dream come true.
“I fully understood the level of commitment and hard work that Strictly was going to be and I dedicated everything to it.
“I am a resilient person and I was fully prepared to put in whatever it took.
“And so much of my Strictly experience was everything I could have dreamt of.
“The entire production team and everyone behind the scenes as well as my fellow contestants were so amazing to work with.
“However, my experience inside the training room was very different.
“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.
“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.”
Zara continued: “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.”
The allegations came to light during the inquiry into claims pro dancer Giovanni Pernice, 33, bullied his celebrity partner Amanda Abbington, 50, on the last series, which he has strenuously denied.
Bosses contacted ex-Love Island star and documentary maker Zara after other contestants and production staff made allegations against Graziano.
Graziano, who joined the show in 2018 and attended the same “brutal” dance school as Giovanni in Italy, had his BBC contract terminated when spoken to on Monday.
He broke his silence moments after his exit was announced and spoke of his “deep regret” over claims he had kicked, hit and spat at Zara, and he accepted the decision to step away from the show.
The star, married to fellow dancer Giada Lini, insisted there was more to the story than meets the eye and said he would speak out “when the time is right”.
The Sun also revealed how the BBC had been warned twice about Graziano’s conduct towards Love Island star Zara during their training sessions last year.
A source said: “The footage has reduced those who have seen it to tears.”
The BBC insisted it acted swiftly after seeing video footage of the abuse.
Meanwhile, other resurfaced footage from last year’s series shows an exhausted Zara curled up on the training room floor ahead of Halloween week.
Zara shared the footage on social media and told followers: “I think I’ve clocked around 50K steps already today with this routine.”
She then begged professional partner Graziano: “Give me a break please.”
