Watch Graziano admit to ‘sour’ training approach with Zara McDermott – as Strictly star reveals backstage meltdowns
EX-STRICTLY pro Graziano Di Prima admitted to a having a “sour” training approach with Zara McDermott.
Graziano, 30, was fired by the BBC following claims he hit, spat and kicked Zara during rehearsals.
In a YouTube chat with Grazia magazine at the start of their Strictly training last year, Zara used to nickname Graziano “sweet and sour” because he was tough on her in training.
Zara said: “What do we call you? Sweet and Sour. Yes Sweet and Sour. He is very, very very sweet and then sometimes…..to be fair when you have told me something 52,000 times and I still get it wrong, you look at me like…and I still get it wrong.”
Graziano simply replied: “I am just passionate.”
During the interview, Zara admitted she was most likely to have a meltdown during rehearsals.
The Italian dancer said: “Monday is the worst day. That is the day she is telling me ‘What is wrong with me?’.”
The ex Love Island star explained: “But then Tuesday you feel as if you should be more ahead than you actually are.
“Like you kind of know the steps but sometimes I don’t keep I am confident enough to put the energy into it and then I get frustrated and I get annoyed at myself and then I have a meltdown.
“And then very quickly sometimes someone will give me a snack or chocolate and we recover very quickly and we are back to work.”
Graziano agreed with her and chimed in saying: “That’s true.”
Later in the chat, Zara admitted she would rather dance with pro Kai Widdrington is she was give the option.
They were asked: “If you had to dance with another dancer who would you pick?”
Zara replied: “I know who I would pick.”
Graziano looked shocked she would even pick someone else over him, getting up saying “See you later” with Zara saying: “No. I don’t want to pick anyone”.
Zara calmed him down by saying: “It is a game” to which Graz fires back: “No but your brain went there anyway.”
She added: “No I am thinking about if there is someone really nice who I also get on with…not as good as you. If I had to dance with anther dancer it would be Kai.
“He does really good impressions and he is really funny.
“He is really good friends with Tess.”
Graziano : If I wanted to dance with someone it would be Layton as we had a good connection.”
He also discussed his drive and told the former Made In Chelsea star she should appreciate him and his passion for dance.
Graziano shared at the time: “I am passionate. It is not a job. I started dancing when I was six and I never stopped. So dancing literally saved my life. Saved it.
“The fact that I have got the responsibility to teach you to dance, there is always that little voice in my head telling me ‘a bit more. again. Just one more’.
He added: “You should appreciate that,” to which Zara replied: “I do appreciate that.”
It comes as Italian dancer Graziano fled the UK amid more claims that Zara “passed out” during rehearsals.
Zara has now responded in a lengthy statement and said she was “scared to speak up”.
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, who is married to felllow dancer Giada Lini, insisted there was more to the story than meets the eye and said he will 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 at the time 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.”
