Ex-Strictly star Graziano Di Prima makes vow 4 months after BBC axe

Graziano Di Prima has returned to Instagram for the first time in four months to announce his planned return to dancing.

The former Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer, 30, was axed by the BBC in July after  he ‘kicked and hit’ his , 27, in the rehearsal room last series.

His rep later admitted Di Prima kicked former star McDermott and said in a statement that he ‘apologised at the time’ and knew he had ‘made a mistake’.

After heading to Italy to lick his wounds over the summer with wife Giada Lini, where he took a £6-an-hour job picking grapes, he has now shared a new post on social media saying he feels ‘stronger than ever and eager to return’ to dancing.

Alongside a video of a choreographed routine with Giada – who appears on the Italian version of Strictly alongside Di Prima’s fellow ex pro Giovanni Pernice – on a bridge, with clips from his childhood and career overlayed at the start, the Italian shared his statement in English and then his native language.

‘Dance has always been the centre of my life, my greatest passion, the path I chose and dedicated years of study, sacrifice, and love to,’ he began.

‘After a period of reflection, I feel stronger than ever and eager to return to what I love most: dancing.

‘The future is a whole world of new open windows, ready to welcome new dreams and new challenges, and I’m excited to continue this journey with even more determination and inspiration.’

Turning to family, friends and his fanbase from Strictly, he added: ‘A heartfelt thank you to everyone who is always there for me.

‘I’m thrilled to dance again with the same enthusiasm and dedication as always.’

Looking to the future, he concluded: ‘See you soon, whether on stage or through new projects that I will be very excited to share with you.’

He gave no further detail as to what those projects could be or if anything was confirmed to be in the pipeline.

Di Prima’s last post on the site had been one in praise of his mother, who he kissed on the head as the allegations against him first broke.

Strictly pro Nancy Xu, who was eliminated from the competition with her celebrity partner Shayne Ward in a shock decision over the weekend, was one of the first associated with Strictly to share her support.

She left a string of purple heart emoji, while former competitors (and champions) Stacey Dooley and Hamza Yassin liked the post, alongside Channel 5 news anchor Dan Walker.

Despite owning up to the ‘kick’ with his rep’s statement, Di Prima later claimed his foot ‘brushed’ McDermott after he ‘kicked the floor in frustration’ due to the ‘pressure of the show.’

Recalling the incident in a different light, Di Prima told the : ‘I’m not a monster. I’m not an abusive man.

‘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.

‘I wasn’t meaning to kick her. I’d never, never do that. My foot brushed her after I kicked the floor.’

He insisted he had then hugged her, apologised and they ‘carried on’ with their being ‘no problem’.

In the same interview, he vowed to ‘dance again’, sharing: ‘I will bring joy to people again with my dancing because this is who I am: an international professional dancer, a man of integrity, a loving husband and son who has never forgotten where he’s come from.

‘I will not let these lies define me. They are not who I am.’

He was also said to be ‘under medical supervision’ after allegations about his teaching methods emerged in the summer, with his family saying that the ‘stress of the situation [was] causing significant concern’.