Graziano Di Prima’s representative, Mark Borkowski, has confirmed that the former Strictly Come Dancing professional did kick his celebrity partner Zara McDermott during rehearsals last year.
The Italian performer recently left the show after video footage of the incident surfaced. Although he does not have a clear memory of the incident, he does not deny that a kick occurred.
Borkowski has refuted claims that Di Prima spat on McDermott, who is a reality star and documentary presenter.
The alleged footage of the incidents has not been released to the public.
In a statement at the weekend, Di Prima expressed regret over the events that led to his departure, attributing his intense passion and determination to win as factors that may have impacted his training methods.
Borkowski notes that his client has been left “in a very vulnerable state” over news coverage of his dismissal.
“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.”
McDermott released a statement earlier this week, revealing her struggle with fear in speaking out and describing the rehearsal room footage as distressing.
Another former Strictly professional, Giovanni Pernice, is also under investigation over his training methods.
The BBC has announced new measures to strengthen welfare and support on the show.
These include supervised rehearsals with a member of production staff sitting in on training, and the addition of welfare producers for the celebrities and professional dancers.
