Zara McDermott ’s representatives have responded to claims that her former Strictly Come Dancing professional partner, Graziano Di Prima ‘only kicked her once’ during training, claiming it was ‘not a singular incident’.

Over the weekend, Graziano was axed from his role on the BBC show following allegations of gross misconduct towards Zara. At the time, he released a statement saying he ‘regrets the actions that led to his departure’. Amid the drama, the former Strictly star has now returned to Sicily, where he is working on a remote farm with the support of his wife.

Yesterday, 18 July, a representative confirmed he did kick Zara once during rehearsals. “There is never a time when kicking, or any sense of that is right,” Mark Borkowski told BBC News. “And he knows that.” It was said that Graziano accepted he “crossed the line” but the dancer denies reports he spat at Zara.

“He knows he’s made a mistake. He apologised at the time.” Graziano is said to have believed the matter had been resolved, however video footage of the incident was released to the BBC last week. “The deluge of commentary, too often without context or nuance, has provoked a pile-on that has left a young man in a very vulnerable state,” they added.

Mr Borkowski also said it was “absolute rubbish” that a single incident was typical of what went on during “weeks and weeks of training”.

Now, in a new statement, Zara’s representative have responded to claims he ‘kicked her once’.

“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,” they told the BBC following the latest statement.

“Zara has already confirmed in a statement released on her social media earlier this week that the reported conduct was not a singular incident…”

Earlier this week, the star released a lengthy statement on her Instagram story, where she told fans she had “wrestled with the fear of opening up” as she “was scared about public backlash”.

In part, she wrote: “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.

“I have wrestled with the fear of opening up- I was scared about public backlash, I was scared about my future, I was scared of victim shaming.

“But after a lot of conversations with those I love, I’ve gained the strength to face these fears, and when I was asked to speak to the BBC, I spoke candidly about my time on the show.”