Sam Thompson puts on a brave face on Love Island: AfterSun after BBC bosses sacked Graziano Di Prima for ‘punching and kicking’ girlfriend Zara McDermott during Strictly rehearsals
Sam Thompson put on a brave face as he appeared on Love Island Aftersun on Sunday night, after the former Strictly Come Dancing pro was accused of ‘punching and kicking’ his girlfriend during her performance on the show.
Italian ballroom specialist Graziano Di Prima has been fired from the long-running Saturday night show amid allegations of physical abuse during his partnership with TV personality Zara McDermott in 2023.
The former Love Island contestant and Sam’s five-year relationship has also come under scrutiny in recent weeks, with the pair – who have not been seen together since early July despite sharing a house – said to be having ‘crisis talks’.
But despite all this, Sam still appeared on the ITV spin-off show with presenter Maya Jama, where he seemed in good spirits.
He was also a guest on the show with Indiyah Polack, with whom he previously presented the podcast Love Island. They wore the England kit as a nod to the European Championship final.
Sam Thompson put on a brave face as he appeared on Love Island Aftersun on Sunday night – after a former Strictly pro was accused of ‘punching and kicking’ his girlfriend during her time on the show
Italian ballroom specialist Graziano Di Prima has been fired from the long-running Saturday night band amid allegations of physical abuse when he worked with Zara McDermott in 2023
Sam was on the show to comment on the events in the villa over the past week.
The Mail on Sunday exclusively revealed that McDermott, who starred alongside Di Prima in last year’s series Strictly, was the victim of repeated physical and verbal abuse during the ongoing backstage attacks on the show on Saturday night.
It is yet another blow to the BBC programme, which is still watched by more than 10 million people, as allegations against fellow Strictly star Giovanni Pernice are still being investigated.
A post on Di Prima’s Instagram has since read: “My intense passion and determination to win may have affected my training regime.”
The professional dancer joined Strictly in 2018 and paired up with McDermott last year, but they were eliminated in week six.
He was previously paired with presenter Vick Hope, Loose Women star Judi Love and in 2022 he reached the quarter-finals with actor Kym Marsh.
Di Prima’s wife, Italian Giada Lini, who also danced professionally on Strictly, has not yet spoken out about her husband’s early departure.
He continued on Instagram: ‘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 provide a quote for the online news stories and I take the sensitivity of the situation to heart.
But amidst all this, Sam still appeared on the ITV spin-off show with presenter Maya Jama, where he seemed in good spirits
He was also a guest on the show with Indiyah Polack, with whom he previously presented the Love Island podcast. They wore the England kit as a nod to the European Championship final.
The Mail on Sunday exclusively revealed that McDermott, who starred alongside Di Prima in last year’s series Strictly, was the victim of repeated physical and verbal abuse
McDermott, pictured with her Strictly Come Dancing partner Graziano Di Prima before they were eliminated during Halloween week
“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.”
The complaint was filed recently and prompted the BBC to expand its ongoing investigation into claims that Giovanni bullied his partner Amanda Abbington during training.
Sources at the show say Di Prima’s behaviour makes Abbington’s claims that Pernice bruised her toe during rehearsals seem “minimal”.
A source said: ‘It was at that meeting that it all happened.’
A source said: ‘It seems whatever Gio has done has opened a Pandora’s box.
“It’s incredibly brave of Zara to come forward. It’s never easy for a woman, or anyone who has been mistreated, to do something like this.”
The complaint was not filed by McDermott himself, but after a number of Strictly production staff raised Di Prima’s behaviour with their bosses.
The professional dancer joined Strictly in 2018 and was partnered by McDermott last year, but they were eliminated in week six
A post on Di Prima’s Instagram since then read: ‘My intense passion and determination to win may have affected my training regime’
Subsequently, BBC executives contacted her management and she was invited for an interview about his behaviour.
McDermott rose to fame through his role in Love Island and has since become a documentary presenter for the BBC.
In 2021, she revealed that revenge porn made her think about suicide after a boy shared naked photos of her at school when she was just 14.
Thompson won ITV’s 2023 I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, beating the likes of Tony Bellew and Nigel Farage to claim the title of King of the Jungle.