Axed Strictly pro Graziano Di Prima has insisted Zara McDermott wanted to compete on Strictly in spite of struggling with a fractured knee, as he denied causing the injury. The dancer, who was sacked after video footage emerged that appeared to show him kicking Zara, 27, has been blamed for allowing the former Love Island star to compete. But speaking for the first time since he was dropped, Graziano, 30, says it was Zara who was determined to continue on the BBC show in spite of her injury.
He told the Mail on Sunday that she told him she'd been diagnosed with a medial collateral ligament (MCL) and that the consultant had told her "if you did anything really bad, you wouldn't have danced last night." He claims he urged her to look after her knee over the next few weeks. However, not long before Strictly's final show - the December 16 Christmas Special - a scan revealed she had two torn muscles and a stress fracture of the tibia.
Graziano - who says Zara told him she wanted to delay an op to allow her to appear on the final show - went on: "She always wanted to practise. I took on board her desire to go forward and improve. Her knee injury was not my fault.
That's why I'm telling you they put me under the bus." Speaking alongside wife Giada Lini, Graziano - who is also said to have hit and spat at Zara in the shock footage - said that he would never deliberately hurt anyone and has had "ugly thoughts" about suicide since he was axed. He went on: "These vile, false allegations.