Strictly Come Dancing is embroiled in controversy again. Just months after dancer Giovanni Pernice departed the show over allegations of abuse, another dancer, Graziano Di Prima, has been accused of misconduct against Zara McDermott.
The long-running dancing competition faced scrutiny earlier this year when multiple complaints were filed against Pernice, who served as a professional dancer on the show. Amanda Abbington and two additional former competitors filed formal complaints after Abbington requested rehearsal footage and began seeking legal counsel. The complaints claimed that Pernise was abusive and threatening, leaving women traumatized and “black and blue” after his brutal regiments. While Pernice denied the allegations, he has since departed the show, and the incident sparked an investigation by BBC. The investigation is ongoing and has identified Di Prima as another professional dancer who engaged in misconduct.
What did Graziano Di Prima do?
Di Prima has been involved with Strictly Come Dancing since 2018 and was initially slated to return for season 22. However, the show has since confirmed he will not return after some disturbing allegations against him arose. Strictly Come Dancing staff came forward with the accusations after witnessing and securing footage of Di Prima mistreating his most recent dance partner on the show, McDermott. He was accused of hitting, kicking, and spitting on her. His actions were caught on camera, and the footage was allegedly so disturbing it left staff members in tears after viewing it.
Di Prima released a statement via his spokesperson in which he admitted to kicking McDermott during rehearsals. However, his spokesperson claimed the kick was an isolated incident and that any allegations of further abuse were false. In a statement to The Sun, McDermott refuted the argument that it was an isolated incident. She references multiple “incidents” that she found “incredibly distressing to watch.” Additionally, she explained that she had initially been scared to speak out for fear of victim shaming but eventually gained the strength to speak to the BBC about her experiences.
Di Prima also released a brief statement on Instagram reiterating his regret over what happened and confirming his respect for the BBC’s decision to remove him from the show. However, he excused what he did as “intense passion” while failing to apologize directly to McDermott. In response to the incident, BBC not only removed Di Prima but announced that it was going to instate chaperones to accompany contestants in rehearsals at all times. Still, the network’s Strictly Come Dancing troubles likely aren’t over yet. Reports claim that an unnamed third professional dancer has arisen as a “person of interest” in the ongoing investigation.
On top of that, Will Bayley, who has arthrogryposis, recently came forward, revealing how he was left with a life-changing injury after his dance partner, Janette Manrara, reportedly forced him to redo a jump after she was displeased with his first attempt. Instead of blaming Manrara, though, he blames the producers for putting so much pressure on Strictly Come Dancing‘s contestants.
Although the BBC is taking steps to remedy the situation, there are still many lingering questions about why it took the network so long to require some form of supervision during rehearsals and how much producers and executives are to blame for placing such intense pressure on both professional dancers and contestants.
Published: Jul 22, 2024 05:53 pm