Zara McDermott shares sweet Strictly support for Pete Wicks
Zara McDermott has shared some Strictly Come Dancing support for close friend Pete Wicks.
The former Love Island star attended Saturday night's live show, along with boyfriend Sam Thompson, to cheer on Pete during his first dance with professional partner Jowita Przystał.
The couple truly got into the Strictly spirit by showing up to Elstree Studios decked out from head to toe in customised T-shirts and jeans covered with pictures of Pete's face.
The joint post on Instagram was captioned: "So excited!!!! Team Pete!!!!"
Related: Best streaming services 2024 — including Disney Plus, Netflix, iPlayer and Apple TV+
Sam also shared a comedic video on his own Instagram account where Pete warned him not to do anything embarrassing when he visited the Strictly set.
Zara previously shared a message of support for Pete when his casting was announced, writing on Instagram: "I've never been so excited. Love you @p_wicks01."
Zara was part of Strictly Come Dancing's cast last year, competing with professional dancer Graziano di Prima. It came to light in July of this year that Graziano had been dropped from the show's lineup of pro dancers, with speculation that this related to his conduct towards Zara.
At the time, the BBC said: "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."
Graziano added: "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."
A couple of days later, Zara released a statement explaining that while "so much of [her] Strictly experience was everything [she] could have dreamt of", her "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."
The reality star-turned-documentary filmmaker added that she had "wrestled with the fear of opening up", but said that "when I was asked to speak to the BBC, I spoke candidly about my time on the show".
She also thanked the broadcaster for its "swift action and incredibly high level of support".
Following Zara's statement, a spokesperson for Graziano then confirmed that the dancer had "kicked" Zara during a training session ahead of a live show, adding: "There is never a time when kicking, or any sense of that, is right.
"And he knows that. He knows he's made a mistake. He apologised at the time."
A spokesperson for McDermott responded to BBC News: "It's a matter of public record that the BBC deemed the conduct to be so severe that they removed him from the show immediately.
"Zara has already confirmed in a statement released on her social media earlier this week that the reported conduct was not a singular incident."
Graziano himself later said in an interview: "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."
Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturdays on BBC One, while spin-off Strictly: It Takes Two airs on weeknights on BBC Two. Both shows are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
Interested in talking about Strictly? Visit our dedicated sub-forum
You Might Also Like
