Former Strictly Come Dancing star Graziano Di Prima did kick his celebrity partner Zara McDermott once during rehearsals last year, his spokesperson has said.
It was announced earlier this month that the professional dancer had left the hit BBC show following reports of video footage brought to the attention of the broadcaster.
Now, his spokesperson, Mark Borkowski, has told BBC News that while Di Prima does not clearly remember the incident during Strictly rehearsals, he does not deny there was a kick.
“This week, the news agenda has focused on an isolated incident that Mr Di Prima deeply regrets and apologised for at the time,” the PR agent said in a statement sent to Sky News.
“The deluge of commentary, too often without context or nuance, has provoked a pile-on that has left a young man in a very vulnerable state. In this case, like in many others, media and social media have immense power to build and destroy careers.”
Mr Borkowski has denied reports alleging the dancer spat on McDermott, a reality star and documentary presenter.
The footage of any alleged incidents has not been made public.
Di Prima addressed the allegations at the weekend, saying he “deeply regrets” the events that led to his departure, and his “intense passion and determination to win” might have affected his training methods.
On Tuesday, McDermott shared a statement saying she had “wrestled with the fear” of speaking out and that footage from the rehearsal room had been “incredibly distressing” to watch back.
Strictly Come Dancing has been mired in controversy following complaints about Di Prima and fellow dancer Giovanni Pernice.
Pernice: Accusations are ‘simply false’
The BBC has announced that a member of the show’s production staff will chaperone all rehearsals from now on, with the 20th anniversary series of the show due to start later this year.
Pernice has denied “any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour” and says the accusations are “simply false”.
Di Prima has now returned to Italy, his home country, Mr Borkowski told BBC News, and is working on a farm. “He has literally cut himself off from civilisation.
“I think that’s a wise thing to do, supported by his wife. He’s coming to terms with his mental health issues.”
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The PR agent said it was “absolute rubbish” that a single incident was representative of what occurred during “weeks and weeks of training”.
There is also “lots of evidence” of Di Prima and McDermott “having a huge amount of fun together through this process”, he said.
Kate Phillips, the BBC’s director of unscripted content, said earlier this week that the “vast majority” of Strictly contestants have had positive experiences.
“If issues are raised with us, or we’re made aware of inappropriate behaviour, we will always take that seriously and act,” she said.
Source : Sky News
