Zara McDermott has broken her silence amid claims Pete Wicks has signed up for Strictly.
Former Love Island star Zara, 27, opened up on her experiences on the BBC show last month – outlining the abuse she received during training during last year’s show. In her claims, she admitted that while her overall experience was positive, there had been moments that she was subject to abuse and misconduct.
This came to a head during the ongoing BBC probe into the show, when video footage emerged of Zara’s partner Graziano di Prima hitting, kicking and spitting at her during rehearsals. Graziano was promptly fired from the show and has now returned to his native Sicily where he works as a farm labourer for £6 an hour.
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However, while she had a particularly tough time on the programme, she is hoping that good pal Pete Wicks, 36, will get to enjoy himself. This is following claims that the TOWIE star is one of the rumoured celebs set to be taking part in this year’s show.
Speaking to MailOnline, a source close to the Made in Chelsea star said: “Zara is so happy for Pete landing the Strictly gig. Her experience on the show was so individual – she hopes no one will go through the same again.”
The insider added: “She knows that Pete will have an amazing time and could even impress the judges, he’s incredibly hardworking and a good person, and will thrive in the environment, which can be intense, but he performs best when he’s challenged and under pressure. Zara doesn’t want anything that happened to her to taint his Strictly journey and backs Pete even if it is a bit close to home.”
(Image: Getty Images for Poeticgem Group)
Pete and Zara are good pals thanks to McDermott’s boyfriend Sam Thompson, 31. The I’m A Celebrity winner is best friends with the cheeky Essex chap, to the point where Zara has joked they are like being in a “throuple”.
The news of Pete’s signing comes after Zara was revealed to have broken bones in her leg during a particularly tough training session during last year’s series. She claimed to The Sun that she had suffered severe damage to her ligaments, as well as a stress fracture in her left tibia.
Despite breaking the bones in training, it was revealed that McDermott had no idea that the bone was broken until after she and Graziano were given the boot from the show. According to pals, the injury took place in the run-up to the Halloween week, where the pair danced the Charleston to “Jeepers Creepers” by Al Donahue & His Orchestra.
(Image: Zara McDermott/Instagram)
The dance would prove to be Zara and Graziano’s final dance as they were eliminated that weekend. The source quipped: “It was a literal horror show in every sense of the word.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
