Zara McDermott supports Pete Wicks after personal Strictly drama with Graziano Di Prima


Zara McDermott was absolutely elated as she cheered on her mate Pete Wicks as he joined the Strictly Come Dancing family during the launch show. Taking a break from the recent Strictly drama that's been swirling about her previous partner Graziano Di Prima, Zara, the Love Island sensation, was all smiles as she supported Sam Thompson's close buddy Pete as he made his dance floor debut.

Excitedly grabbing her phone, Zara snapped a photo of Pete hugging his newly announced dance pro Jowita Przysta straight off her telly. She gushed on her Insta Stories with the caption: "@p_wicks01 and @jowitaprzystal [crying face emoji] [heart emoji] What a pairing! ! ! [heart emoji]."

Pete is strutting onto Strictly amidst a whirlwind of rumours and real talk about 'bullying' within the ranks of the dance pros. Graziano, 30, came clean recently about giving Zara, 27, an accidental kick while they were dancing last year a move that led to his exit from the beloved BBC programme.

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When the incident first happened, Zara confessed she was filled with dread at the thought of speaking up. "I was scared about public backlash, I was scared about my future, I was scared of victim shaming. I felt it was right that I post something regarding the recent media reports," she wrote on her Instagram.

The dancer expressed her dedication to Strictly, stating "I fully understood the level of commitment and hard work that Strictly was going to be and I dedicated everything to it," with further explanation: "I am a resilient person and I was fully prepared to put in whatever it took. And so much of my Strictly experience was everything I could have dreamt of. The entire production team and everyone behind the scenes as well as my fellow contestants were so amazing to work with."

She went on to detail her contrasting experiences, "However, my experience inside the training room was very different. Reports have been made about my treatment on the show and there were witnesses to some events, as well as videos of particular incidents which are incredibly distressing to watch."

Graziano then responded to these claims in an interview with the Mail, admitting only to an instance of unintended physical contact during rehearsal frustration: "The only thing I can think of is the time I kicked the floor in frustration. We'd practised hour after hour to perfect a routine with lifts. It wasn't easy but that's the pressure of the show."

He clarified: "I wasn't meaning to kick her. I'd never, never do that. My foot brushed her after I kicked the floor. Afterwards I hugged her and said I was sorry. There was no problem. We carried on."