Zara McDermott and Graziano di Prima during a tense moment on Strictly (Image: BBC)
shared her struggle working with earlier this year in a revelation that sent shockwaves through the – and of course millions of viewers.
Graziano, who has since been sacked from the show for “gross misconduct”, but intends to make a comeback in Britain, admitted to “kicking the floor in frustration” and said he could have accidentally struck Zara with his foot during this moment. Zara, on the other hand, declared that the physical altercations had happened “multiple times”.
Some fans wondered why she hadn’t spoken out sooner, instead of waiting until long after the competition was over to make the major announcement. However, she has set the record straight on exactly what the thought process was behind her actions.
“The culture within our society makes it difficult for people to speak up, especially in a world where social media opinions and voices are so loud,” she said in a statement. She added that many “conversations with loved ones” had taken place behind the scenes to get her to the stage of plucking up the courage to speak out.
“I was scared about public backlash, I was scared about my future, I was scared of victim shaming,” she shared. Despite “wrestling with” her fears, she ended up speaking “candidly” to the .
:
Zara McDermott on the red carpet (Image: Getty)
Zara also shared during her statement that she sees herself as a strong and “resilient” woman, willing to “put in whatever it took” on the dancefloor”.
This attitude was demonstrated when the shocked public learnt , dosing up on painkillers in her desperation to continue.
Despite vowing to be “dedicated” and “committed”, she stated that she’d had a horrible experience in the rehearsal room.
Zara referenced “videos of particular incidents which are incredibly distressing to watch” and shared that some people had been “witnesses” to what had taken place.
Don’t miss… [HEALTH] [UPDATE]
Graziano di Prima is set to make a comeback (Image: Getty)
Graziano also gave a statement, suggesting he “deeply regretted” what had happened, but felt it was best if he “stepped away” from the show.
He wrote: “My intense passion and determination to win might have affected my training regime.”
In the aftermath,
However, – and while it is believed he won’t be back on TV screens for Strictly, he took a first step by joining The Stars’ Pasquale La Roca in fronting a dance class in London earlier this month.
Since her own comments about the scandal, Zara has moved on too, releasing a clothing range through her company We Are Rise, and working on documentary film making.
She even appeared on ‘s earlier this month, with her specialist subject being fellow reality TV stars .