Zara McDermott opened up about Graziano Di Prima in an interview during the show as it’s revealed how she was spoken to by Strictly Come Dancing bosses over concerns over his conduct
Zara McDermott had a particular nickname for Graziano Di Prima which hinted at turmoil behind the scenes.
In a past interview, the 30-year-old called him “sweet and sour” for his fiery temper, joking about his reactions when she repeatedly gets things wrong despite his patience.
In the joint interview, Di Prima also told how Zara annoyed him by constantly drinking water in rehearsals and before they went live on Sat nights.
Di Prima shared, “You keep drinking water. She’s obsessed with water and lip balm. When stressed, she applies lip balm and needs a quick restroom break, while I’m focused on dancing.”
The emergence of the nickname comes as worried BBC producers spoke to Zara after witnessing Di Prima being verbally abusive in rehearsals.
But Zara told she them she was fine and the matter was considered resolved, insiders said. A source said: “In hindsight, Zara was clearly too scared to speak up and it’s heartbreaking that the full extent of what was happening wasn’t apparent.”
A senior producer was drafted in to speak to Di Prima after a member of the production team witnessed his behaviour in rehearsals. It’s understood that it related to bad language and the dancer was urged to be more “considerate with his training critique”.
Insiders said that the matter was “resolved at the time to everyone’s satisfaction” and that Zara was “asked if she was OK by a senior producer at the time.” A source added: “He used some choice language – he was tough in training and producers spoke to him about the way he was speaking to people. He understood he was being given a warning, and that his conduct had to change.
Zara opened this week up about what she describes as harrowing experiences behind the scenes on the show. She said some footage of her during training sessions for the BBC programme last year was “incredibly distressing to watch”. Di Prima was axed from the show over claims of gross misconduct. He said his will to win may have affected his training style.
It came after another pro dancer Giovanni Pernice was dropped from Strictly amid separate claims about his conduct, which he denies. BBC bosses have now made changes at the show as they battle to save it. Producers have introduced a chaperone into every session to monitor all the celebrities’ interactions with the professional dancers.
The BBC has also brought in two new welfare support roles, with one person on hand for the celebs and one for the pro dancers. Zara, who has also presented a string of BBC documentaries, told her two million Instagram followers this week: “I felt it was right that I post something regarding the recent media reports.
“Strictly is one of the most magical shows on TV and one that I dreamt of being on since I was a little girl. When I was invited to be a contestant on the show it was a childhood dream come true. I fully understood the level of commitment and hard work that Strictly was going to be and I dedicated everything to it. I am a resilient person and I was fully prepared to put in whatever it took.
“So much of my Strictly experience was everything I could have dreamed 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.”
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Source: USA Today
