Why this is not the end of the Strictly scandal: Zara McDermott’s ordeal was ‘horrendous’, and Graziano’s downfall could be just the start reveals KATIE HIND

For those watching from the sidelines, the passion, drama and emotion behind the country’s most popular dance show is laid bare almost daily during rehearsals.

But when a group of Strictly Come Dancing employees witnessed professional Graziano Di Prima’s behaviour towards his celebrity partner, Zara McDermott, they immediately complained to their bosses.

When they saw how aggressively the Sicilian dancer behaved towards the 27-year-old, they expected him to be fired immediately.

But not only was he allowed to continue performing on the regular Saturday night programme, he was later invited back to the tour and last month he was announced as one of the returning pros for the upcoming series.

Today, after it emerged that there had been multiple complaints of physical and verbal abuse against Di Prima, including claims he punched and kicked his former dance partner, the Mail can reveal that Strictly production staff are said to be furious that their complaints were ignored, meaning the abuse against Ms McDermott, a former Love Island star, was allowed to continue.

There were multiple complaints of physical and verbal abuse against Di Prima, including allegations that he punched and kicked his former dance partner

“There were multiple occasions where there was both physical and verbal abuse,” a Strictly source said. “It was more physical than verbal, but it was all awful.”

Worse still, they claim that an emergency meeting to discuss the situation was cancelled at the last minute.

It was only nine months later, when employees obtained a clip of one of the incidents and showed it to BBC bosses leading the investigation into professional dancer Giovanni Pernice – who left the show last month amid bullying allegations – that their concerns were finally addressed.

The Mail on Sunday revealed yesterday that Di Prima, who joined Strictly in 2018, has now been sacked for gross misconduct. He was accused of physically and verbally abusing Ms McDermott, with whom he danced until the sixth week of the 2023 series, after which they were eliminated.

Strictly sources told this newspaper they now believe there was a ‘cover-up’ in which bosses hoped to prevent fan favourite Di Prima from being ousted.

The BBC declined to comment when approached last night. But the unfolding scandal has led some to fear the future of the programme could now be in jeopardy.

A BBC insider said: ‘There is absolutely no doubt that the highest levels at Strictly and the whole BBC were aware of Graziano’s behaviour, yet they still allowed him to appear on screen.

BBC bosses are leading the investigation into professional dancer Giovanni Pernice, who left the show after allegations of bullying by former dance partner Amanda Abbington

According to friends, Di Prima is ‘devastated’. He has hired a lawyer and publicist in an attempt to emerge from the scandal as unscathed as possible.

‘How can you just let them go when they’ve done something like this… Maybe it’s because he was adored by some bosses, who knows, but whatever the reason for not handling this properly, it can’t be ignored. This is definitely the beginning of the end for Strictly now. This is a terrible, terrible crisis.

“The ultimate question that needs to be answered is why Graziano was asked to do a new series.”

The employees approached senior HR managers responsible for the investigation into Pernice – which followed claims by his dance partner Amanda Abbington that he had bullied her during training – with a video clip of Di Prima allegedly hitting Ms McDermott. It was then that he was fired, literally on the spot, just over a week ago.

Ms McDermott was simply ‘too scared’ to make a complaint at the time, and her friends went so far as to claim that there was ‘some coercion’ going on. However, when she was approached by BBC investigators, who told her they were aware of the abuse, she agreed to meet them and share her torment with them.

“It was incredibly brave of her to do that,” a friend of the reality star said. “It was horrible, but like many women who are abused, it’s hard to come forward for fear that your career will be over if you do.

“But how wonderful that the production team supported her and stood up for her when she was too scared.”

A statement from the broadcaster confirmed Di Prima’s departure: ‘We can confirm that Graziano Di Prima will no longer be part of the line-up of professional dancers for the upcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing.

‘While we never comment on individual cases, the BBC is known to have robust duty of care procedures in place. If concerns are raised, we will always take them seriously and take action as quickly as possible.’

Strictly speaking, insiders insist this is not the end of the scandal and fear that others will now come forward.

The unfolding of the latest scandal has led some to fear that the future of Strictly Come Dancing is now in jeopardy

Di Prima also responded to his departure with a post on Instagram, in which he apparently admitted to wrongdoing. ‘I deeply regret the events that led to my departure from Strictly. My intense passion and determination to win may have affected my training regime,’ he wrote.

According to friends, the dancer is “devastated.” He has hired a lawyer and publicist to come out of the scandal as unscathed as possible.

Although he does not deny any of the charges against him, he insists his ‘crime’ is his ‘Sicilian passion’. However, he has admitted that his life in the UK is over and that he is retiring to Italy, where he will attempt to revive his once glittering career.

But before he does, he will be taking legal action against the BBC, claiming he has not been given any support on how to deal with the pressures of taking part in the show. A friend of the star told the Mail: ‘There are questions about their [the BBC’s] procedures and how they work behind the scenes. He believes there is a lot of pressure on professionals to get nines or tens to entertain the audience.

Strictly speaking, insiders insist this is not the end of the scandal and fear others will now come forward. They say it is telling that none of the professional dancers have publicly supported Pernice, 33, amid claims from Sherlock actress Ms Abbington that he abused her during rehearsals.

An investigation into her allegations has been ongoing for several weeks after she assigned law firm Carter-Ruck to represent her. Pernice has instructed Schillings.

He has denied all of Mrs Abbington’s allegations against him and expects the BBC to exonerate him completely, supported by Strictly Chief Judge Shirley Ballas.

But sources now say others are ‘scared’ they could be next. ‘Amanda has opened a huge Pandora’s box,’ says one. ‘The irony here is that what Zara went through was much worse than [Amanda’s] bruised toe.

What’s next on the agenda for Strictly, the much-loved flagship show that the BBC regards as the best Saturday night programme since The Generation Game?

There is likely to be an investigation into the failure of duty of care and bosses will have to put in place procedures, such as psychological testing, to ensure participants are mentally strong enough to take part.

There are also concerns that it will be a battle to get celebrities to sign on. But more than anything, BBC executives are said to be “deeply concerned” that fans will stop watching.

“The last nine months have been a disaster,” says a well-informed source. “With no idea where it will end, fears are sky-high at the top of the BBC.”

The BBC declined to comment further on Di Prima’s sudden departure.