Graziano Di Prima has reportedly been placed under medical supervision following fresh injury allegations.
The 30-year-old star’s family are said to be ‘deeply concerned’ for his wellbeing and are monitoring him hourly. It comes after he was dropped from Strictly Come Dancing earlier this month following claims that he ‘kicked and spat’ at his co-star Zara McDermott.
His family said recent allegations has left the ballroom star “unable to defend himself.” In a statement they said: “Graziano is currently under medical supervision, with the stress of the situation causing significant concern for his family, who are monitoring him hourly.
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“The unrelenting feeding frenzy over these accusations and his mental state leaves him at this time unable to defend himself.” The Daily Star has contacted the BBC for a comment.
(Image: Getty Images)
On Thursday (July 25), further allegations were made about their intense training sessions on the BBC show. Reports claim Zara broke a leg bone during training but continued to dance despite the pain.
It is said that she informed the pro dancer about her agony, but the duo agreed to plough on before losing in the dance-off after five weeks on the show. Following their elimination, the former Love Island star received medical treatment in hospital.
Graziano, who is said to be ‘extremely stressed’ by the ordeal, has since shut down claims that the BBC were in the dark about Zara’s injuries. The Sicilian dancer also insisted that he received “no guidance” about the severity of his partner’s pain when they continued to perform.
(Image: BBC/Guy Levy)
He told the publication: “BBC physios were present all week, monitoring the situation and were aware of the pain. I received no guidance on the severity of any injuries, and from what I understood, Zara wanted to continue dancing.”
Graziano previously stated that he looked forward to speaking out about his experience on the show but was unable to do so due to the strict BBC HR guidelines. He vowed: “When the time is right, I will tell my story.”
However, the ballroom expert did admit to “kicking” Zara during training through a spokesperson. Di Prima’s representative, Mark Borkowski said: “There is never a time when kicking, or any sense of that is right.
(Image: BBC)
“And he knows that. He knows he’s made a mistake. He apologised at the time.” Zara’s reps then issued a new statement in response to the assertion that the dancer “kicked her once”.
They replied: “It’s a matter of public record that the BBC deemed the conduct to be so severe that they removed him from the show immediately.” This week, it was reported that Zara McDermott’s close friend, and her boyfriend Sam Thompson’s podcast co-host Pete Wicks, is set to star on the upcoming series of Strictly.
It’s claimed Graziano has fled the UK to rebuild his life with partner Giada abroad. He was recently spotted picking grapes in his native Sicily.
(Image: Instagram)
Sources close to the beloved BBC show said the TOWIE favourite is the second star to sign up following DIY SOS host Nick Knowles. The news came as a surprise to many fans given Pete’s friendship with Zara and Sam, who has supported her over the past few weeks.
Pete was even spotted backstage at Strictly last year where he posed for pictures with Graziano as they joked about their similar looks. Zara previously admitted she didn’t speak up about her partner’s alleged behaviour until the BBC investigation was launched out of fear of “victim blaming.”
She said in a statement: “I was scared about the public backlash, I was scared about my future, I was scared of victim shaming.” Fans will have to stay tuned to see if the podcast host will take to the dancefloor this autumn.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
