The professional Strictly Come Dancing dancer who was sacked by the BBC after allegations he kicked his celebrity partner has given his first interview, saying he never assaulted his partner and that the “vile, false accusations destroyed his life in a matter of minutes.”
Strictly's Zara and Graziano clash over 'who worked hardest' after surviving dance competition
Graziano Di Prima was fired from the show following claims that he assaulted TV presenter Zara McDermott during rehearsals for last year's season. The allegations included kicking, punching and spitting, and Di Prima publicly apologised over his departure, saying his competitive training regime had sometimes caused him to make mistakes.
This weekend, the dancer said in an interview with the Daily Mail newspaper from his native Italy, where he has since returned:
Di Prima was a popular professional dancer on the hit BBC show for six years before abruptly leaving. He now says he is determined to dance professionally again and does not want this controversy to define the rest of his life.
