Fresh blow for Graziano Di Prima as Strictly judge ‘cut ties’ after Zara McDermott scandal
GRAZIANO Di Prima has faced another blow as Strictly judge Anton Du Beke appears to have “cut ties” with him.
It comes after Graziano, 30, was fired by the BBC following claims he hit, spat and kicked Zara McDermott during training.
The Italian dancer has fled the UK and is earning £6 an hour picking grapes in his native Sicily.
But it looks like things have gone from bad to worse, as Anton seems to have distanced himself Graziano on social media.
Anton, 57, is no longer following Graziano on Instagram but continues to follow his tour buddy Giovanni Pernice, after he quit the BBC series after three celebrity partners made complaints about him.
Anton follows a number of past and present Strictly stars like pros Dianne Buswell, Johannes Radebe and Amy Dowden among others.
He is also following former stars of the BBC show like AJ Pritchard, Ian Waite and Kevin Clifton on the platform.
But Graziano is mysteriously not on his friends list anymore, despite the Italian dancer and his wife Giada Lini still following Anton.
On Tuesday, the BBC gave more detail on their new duty of care and the drastic new measures to be implemented following the overhaul.
Going forward the BBC says there will be a “production team member present during training room rehearsals at all times”.
It comes after Graziano admitted “making a mistake” by kicking Zara in a rehearsal last year.
His representative, Mark Borkowski, told PA: “There is never a time when kicking, or any sense of that is right, and he knows that.
“He knows he’s made a mistake. He apologised at the time.”
The dancer has told pals he is “mentally shot” after video emerged of him kicking and spitting his former celebrity partner.
A source said: “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 is earning £6-an-hour in his new job, a far-cry from the glitz and glamour of the ballroom.
ZARA’S FULL STATEMENT
It comes after Zara released a statement in full to her Instagram page.
The documentary maker 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.
“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 insisted that the Strictly production team and everyone behind the scenes were “amazing to work with”.