Zara McDermott has released a statement about her time on Strictly Come Dancing following the news that Graziano Di Prima has been dropped from the 2023 line-up - but do you think the show’s reputation has been tarnished? The 30-year-old dancer was axed from the BBC One show after reports claimed he hit, spat and kicked Zara during rehearsals. BBC bosses allegedly made the decision within 48-hours of viewing "shocking" video footage of the incident, which reportedly reduced some people to tears. Members of the production team are believed to have made the allegations and Zara is said to have had an "honest" conversation with BBC investigators, which included two ex-Met police officers.
In a message to fans, the former Love Island star opened up about her experience, saying she had "wrestled with the fear of opening up". She said: "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 ." Zara continued: "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,.