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Come and dance in a pinch pro Graziano Di Prima admitted to kicking his celebrity partner Zara McDermott during rehearsals last year.
“There’s never a time when it’s right to kick, or to think about it,” Di Prima’s spokesman Mark Borkowski told BBC News on Thursday (July 18). “And he knows that.
“He knows he made a mistake. He apologized at the time.”
A video of the incident was reportedly brought to the attention of the BBC last week, leading to Di Prima was removed from the show last weekThe images have not been made public and the circumstances surrounding them are unknown.
Di Prima “remembers that he was pushing [McDermott] “It was pretty tough” in training on the day in question, Borkowski said.
“But he doesn’t acknowledge some of the issues around him,” he added, referring to reports that Di Prima “spat” on McDermott.
“The descriptions of what is being commented on online and how it is remembered do not match,” he said.
The spokesman added that it was “absolutely absurd” that a single incident was typical of what happened during “weeks and weeks of training”.
There is also “ample evidence” that Di Prima and McDermott are “having a tremendous amount of fun together throughout this process,” he said.
The news comes after a third Come and dance in a pinch The star has been named a “person of interest” in an investigation into the BBC off-screen rehearsals of the show.
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The investigation has been launched After Sherlock Star Amanda Abbington has expressed concerns about the alleged behavior of his professional partner Giovanni Pernice, who led the pro to leave the series earlier this year. Abbington said his time on the show was “difficult” and “horrible”.
According to reports, the third professional dancer who was allegedly featured is not on the current programming of the new serieswhich is expected to begin in September.
“The name of a professional has emerged, alongside Giovanni and Graziano,” said a source. The sun.
“He’s no longer on the show, but he’s been designated as a person of interest. Conversations are ongoing and there are other people who need to be talked to.
“A report is being prepared and will be sent to the BBC. It is clear that there is a more generalised problem with the behaviour of some professionals in training.”
The source also suggested that this third professional was reported either by his celebrity partner or by members of the production team.
Di Prima’s behaviour had been highlighted by members of the show’s production team, with McDermott revealing that she At first he remained silent for fear of “blaming the victim”.
McDermott, the documentary presenter who became famous thanks to The Island of Lovewrote on Instagram on Tuesday (July 16): “A big part of my Strictly The experience was everything I could have dreamed of. The entire production team and everyone working behind the scenes as well as my fellow competitors were amazing to be around.
“However, my experience in the training room was very different. There were reports about my treatment on the show and there were witnesses to some of the events, as well as videos of particular incidents, which are incredibly distressing to watch.”
The BBC said The Independent: “As we said The sunWe will always be listening if people want to alert us about something or talk to us directly about it.
Di Prima attributed his off-screen behavior to his “intense passion and determination to win,” adding: “I deeply regret the events that led to my departure from Strictly. In accordance with the BBC HR process, I understand that it is best for the show that I step away.
“While there are aspects of this story involving outside influences that I cannot discuss at this time, I remain committed to being strong for my family and friends.
“I wish that the Strictly “I wish my family and the BBC every success for the future. I would also like to thank everyone who has supported my career, both professionally and personally. When the time is right, I will share my story.”
The result of the investigation is that Accompanists will now supervise all rehearsals go forward.