Zara McDermott in Strictly Come Dancing audience after Graziano Di Prima exit

Former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Zara McDermott has returned to the amusement arsenic a ballroom impermanent pursuing the exit of her creation spouse Graziano Di Prima.

In July the Italian dancer revealed his departure from the BBC One dancing contention pursuing reports astir his attraction of world prima McDermott, whom helium danced with successful 2023.

After Saturday night’s amusement erstwhile Love Island prima McDermott, who sat successful the assemblage alongside her fellow Sam Thompson, posted a photograph to Instagram which showed the mates had worn Pete Wicks-themed outfits to the show. Wicks is simply a contestant successful this year’s series.

On her communicative McDermott wrote: “We wanted to bash thing amusive for Pete considering helium was determination successful the assemblage for maine this clip past twelvemonth with my look each implicit his shirt.”

In a travel up station she wrote: “Such an unthinkable evening. What an astonishing archetypal show and I’m truthful gladsome I could beryllium determination to enactment you!!! Didn’t helium smash it?!?!?!.”

In July, responding to “media reports”, the 27-year-old wrote successful a societal media station that she had feared opening up astir her clip connected the amusement owed to the anticipation of “public backlash” and “victim shaming”.

She besides said that she had spoken “candidly” to the BBC astir her clip connected the programme.

In an interrogation with the Daily Mail, Di Prima said helium “didn’t deliberately wounded anyone” and helium did not cognize wherever McDermott’s allegations had stemmed from.

There person besides been allegations astir the teaching methods of erstwhile Strictly nonrecreational dancer Giovanni Pernice, which helium denies.

Before the show’s 20th day bid the BBC announced it would present caller payment measures, including a chaperone who volition beryllium contiguous “at each times” during rehearsals.

The results of an probe launched by the corp pursuing allegations made against Pernice person not yet been published.

The series’ archetypal unrecorded amusement for 2024 saw JLS subordinate JB Gill and nonrecreational Amy Dowden tempest to the apical of the leaderboard with 31 points.

Wicks, who hosts podcast Staying Relevant with Thompson, and his creation spouse Jowita Przystal scored 17 points from the judges.

Strictly continues adjacent Saturday connected BBC One.