Graziano Di Prima admitted a dancer’s career doesn’t ‘last long’ in interview that foreshadowed his shock sacking from Strictly following claims of gross misconduct towards Zara McDermott

Graziano Di Prima admitted in an earlier interview announcing his departure from Strictly Come Dancing that a dancer’s career often doesn’t ‘last very long’.

The BBC has sacked the professional dancer following allegations of serious misconduct against his former celebrity partner Zara McDermott.

Graziano previously told MailOnline that he and his wife Giada Lini, 33, decided to wait ‘a few years’ before starting a family because their dancing careers ‘don’t last very long’.

The star revealed that he and Giada were “thinking about” having children, but stressed at the time that they were “prioritizing” their careers.

During the chat, the professional dancer, who first met Giada in 2014, also admitted that he doesn’t believe in the infamous Strictly curse.

This comes after the professional dancer was sacked by the BBC following allegations of serious misconduct against his former partner Zara McDermott.

Of his and Giada’s plans as a married couple, he said, “We’re prioritizing our careers.

“Our careers won’t last long, so we’ll wait a few more years before we think about having a family. I still want to dance and she still wants to do Dancing With The Stars, but we’re thinking about it, of course.”

The Strictly pro was very enthusiastic about their married life, calling it ‘amazing’ and reminiscing about the time they have spent together since they got married.

He said in February last year: ‘We got married in July last year and we just went on our honeymoon together to the Maldives. It was paradise – it was beautiful.

‘We live in London. We’ve been married for almost a year, but it feels like we’ve been married for six or seven years because we’re always together – it’s beautiful.’

But Graziano admitted it wasn’t all plain sailing. The newlyweds were separated for three months due to their conflicting schedules.

He said: Giada is doing Dancing With The Stars in Italy and Strictly is doing that at the same time, so we were apart for three months – it was really tough.

“But then we celebrated Christmas together, and now we’re working on a new dance musical together – La Bamba. She’s from Venice, and I’m from Sicily, so we had the wedding there because my family is huge.”

Graziano previously told MailOnline that he and wife Giada Lini, 33, (pictured) decided to wait ‘a few years’ before starting a family because their dancing careers ‘don’t last very long’

The Italian hunk revealed that he and Giada were ‘thinking about’ children, but insisted at the time that they were ‘prioritizing’ their careers

During the chat, the professional dancer, who first met Giada in 2014, also admitted he doesn’t believe in the infamous Strictly curse (pictured with Zara McDermott)

Asked if it was difficult to work with his wife, Graziano replied: ‘No, it’s wonderful because we’re both dancers, so we understand the challenge. If we can do something together, it’s exciting.’

And on the infamous Strictly curse, he insisted: ‘I don’t believe in it at all. We are professionals, and we know that for every action there is a reaction.

Asked if his wife Giada ever gets jealous when he dances with other women, Graziano said: “No way. It’s our job. And it’s the same when she dances with male celebrities – it’s our job. We’re used to dancing with other people.”

The Mail on Sunday revealed that bosses of the Saturday night dance show have been in contact with the Italian star this week and his contract has been terminated.

Graziano wrote on his Instagram page: “My intense passion and determination to win may have affected my training regime.”

A source from the show said: ‘Graziano had to go. It was awful.’

His departure came at the same time that Strictly announced that their beloved pro Aljaž Škorjanec was returning to the show two years after his departure.

Graziano joined Strictly in 2018 and paired up with Love Island star Zara last year, but they were eliminated in week six.

A message on Graziano’s Instagram read: ‘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.

It comes as The Mail on Sunday revealed the Italian star was spoken to by bosses of the Saturday night dance show this week and his contract has been terminated

A post on Graziano’s Instagram read: ‘My intense passion and determination to win may have affected my training regime’

‘While I respect the BBC HR process, I recognise that it is only right for the good of the show that I step back. I regret that I was not able to offer a quote for the online news stories and I take the sensitivity of the situation to heart. There is more to this story that I cannot discuss at this time, but I am determined to be strong for my family and friends. I wish the Strictly family nothing but success in the future.’

Graziano married Giada in July 2022 on the island of Sicily, his birthplace.

The dancers exchanged vows in a traditional Catholic ceremony after postponing their wedding plans due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 90-minute Catholic service took place at the Basilica della Madonna della Catena on the Mediterranean island, a historic church in the picturesque village of Castiglione di Sicilia.

A select group of 200 guests attended the ceremony, including Strictly stars Nadiya Bychkova, Karim Zeroual and Chizzy Akudolu.