Graziano Di Prima's wife breaks silence for first time since BBC Strictly axe with defiant post
Graziano Di Prima's wife Giada Lini has broken her silence with a defiant post
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Graziano Di Prima was axed from Strictly Come Dancing last month after the BBC probe into the show found instances of "misconduct".
It came as he was accused of “physical and verbal behaviour” towards his celebrity partner of last year, Love Island star Zara McDermott. The probe was launched after Amanda Abbington made complaints about her dance partner Giovanni Pernice, who has also left the series.
Writing on Instagram at the time, the 30-year-old addressed the axe as he stated: "I deeply regret the events that led to my departure from Strictly.
“My intense passion and determination to win might have affected my training regime. Respecting the BBC HR process, I understand it's best for the show that I step away."
He continued: "While there are aspects of this story involving external influences that I can't discuss at this time, I remain committed to being strong for my family and friends.
"I wish the Strictly family and the BBC nothing but success in the future."
Concluding the post, Di Prima added: "I also want to thank everyone who has supported my career, both professionally and personally. When the time is right, I will share my story."
In a separate statement, the BBC said: “We can confirm that Graziano Di Prima is no longer a part of the line-up of professional dancers for the upcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing.
"While we would never comment on individual cases, it is well-known that the BBC has established and robust duty of care procedures, and if issues are raised we will always take them seriously and act swiftly as appropriate.”
While his wife Giada Lini hasn't publicly said anything about the controversy, she broke her silence on Friday with a defiant post.
Posting a snap of her hand intertwined with Di Prima's, she penned: "Noi," which translates into English as "us".
Earlier this month, Di Prima made another bombshell update after a lengthy period of silence to reveal his final conversation with McDermott, in which the two reportedly arranged to meet up.
In a new interview, Di Prima said of the reality star: "I thought we were friends, we were friends."Speaking to the Daily Mail, he explained that on the day he found out he'd been sacked from the show, McDermott had sent him a video on her cat along with a complaint about the weather while he was on holiday in Sicily.
He explained his wife Giada Lini had replied to her saying: "I'll try and send the sun to you," before adding: "Anyway, my darling, we're going to see you very soon because we're going to be in the UK so we need to go out together and we can organise dinner in our new apartment. Sending love."
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Graziano Di Prima's wife Giada Lini has broken her silence with a defiant post
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The dancer went on to reveal how 20 minutes later, the BBC got in touch with him to confirm his axe, and how he hasn't heard from McDermott since.
He added: "You can't imagine how many times my mind has been going back and forward trying to think of something that happened all those months ago that I can't figure out," The Mirror reports.
He went on to say he "didn't deliberately hurt anyone," stating: "I'm not a monster. I'm not an abusive man."