Graziano Di Prima and his wife Giada Lini enjoyed a seemingly close friendship with Zara McDermott during her time on Strictly Come Dancing . The Italian professional dancer, 30, was paired with the 27-year-old reality star in last year’s series of the BBC show, and the duo were eliminated after landing in the dance-off during the Halloween-themed edition at the end of October. However, fans of the show were stunned when it emerged Graziano had been dropped from Strictly amid allegations of inappropriate behaviour and language towards Zara during their training sessions.
While Graziano issued a statement regarding his sudden departure from the show, BBC bosses also released a statement about the allegations, leaving Strictly fans gobsmacked. The Italian dancer said in a post on Instagram that his “intense passion and determination to win might have affected” his training regime and that it was “best for the show” to leave. Just two weeks before his dramatic departure, Graziano and his wife Giada spoke fondly about their friendship with Zara, and insisted they have no worries about falling victim to the Strictly ‘curse’.
“We always include our dance partners and go for dinner and get to know each other,” Graziano told OK!, as he claimed he and his wife had socialised with Zara outside of their intense training sessions. A BBC spokesperson confirmed the Italian dancer was no longer part of the line-up this year, and said it is “well-known that the BBC has es.