ZARA McDermott was left with “horror injuries” months after intense Strictly training.
The ex Love Island star, 27, took to Instagram on Tuesday after axed pro Graziano Di Prima, 30, was fired by the BBC following claims he hit, spat and kicked her during rehearsals.
Months after leaving the show, Zara revealed that she only has three toenails after losing them in the competition.
At the time, she also shared a photo of nasty looking wound on her big toe, and wrote: “Half my toe has come off tbh.”
Since then Zara has been has opened up about other painful injuries including a stress fracture in her tibia, which resulted in her wearing a moon boot.
In March, Zara shared a health update after a visit to the hospital.
Zara told fans on Instagram: “This evening I’m heading to the hospital because while I was away I got some news from my Dr about my tibia fracture.
“The good news is that there is some small evidence of healing! Yay!
“However he said he can see that the bone surrounding the fracture is under a lot of tension/pressure… whatever that means?
“Surgery is still an option but I’ve opted for the most natural route which is to try and help it heal on its own…”
Earlier that month month the presenter opened up about her health concerns in an Instagram post, and pleaded for advice.
Zara captioned one of her stories: “So I have quite a significant stress fracture in my tibia that isn’t healing.
“It stretches pretty much the entire width of my bone.
“The professor who operated on me back in December has advised that I am likely to need further surgery where they put metal screws and plates above and below the fractured area to fuse it together.”
Zara said she is struggling to find information about her condition online, so is hoping someone else who has experienced a stress fracture in their tibia can help her.
“How long were you off your feet for? How bad was it? I have lots of questions!” she added.
Zara went on: “I’m just weighing up whether to crack on and go ahead with the surgery or wait and hope that it starts to heal on its own.
“If it doesn’t, then I will need to have surgery in 3-6 months anyway.
It comes as Italian dancer Graziano fled the UK amid more claims that Zara “passed out” during rehearsals.
Zara has now responded in a lengthy statement and said she was “scared to speak up”.
She said: “I felt it was right that I post something regarding the recent media reports.
“Strictly is one of the most magical shows on TV and one that I dreamt of being on since I was a little girl.
“When I was invited to be a contestant on the show it really was a childhood dream come true.
“I fully understood the level of commitment and hard work that Strictly was going to be and I dedicated everything to it.
“I am a resilient person and I was fully prepared to put in whatever it took.
“And so much of my Strictly experience was everything I could have dreamt of.
“The entire production team and everyone behind the scenes as well as my fellow contestants were so amazing to work with.
“However, my 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.
“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.
“The culture within our society makes it difficult for people to speak up, especially in a world where social media opinions and voices are so loud.
“This is something I’ve seen through working with countless women on my documentaries.”
Zara continued: “I would like to thank the BBC & BBC Studios for their swift action and incredibly high level of support, as well as everyone who has reached out to me – it really truly means a lot. Love, always.
Zara.”
The allegations came to light during the inquiry into claims pro dancer Giovanni Pernice, 33, bullied his celebrity partner Amanda Abbington, 50, on the last series, which he has strenuously denied.
Bosses contacted ex-Love Island star and documentary maker Zara after other contestants and production staff made allegations against Graziano.
Graziano, who joined the show in 2018 and attended the same “brutal” dance school as Giovanni in Italy, had his BBC contract terminated when spoken to on Monday.
He broke his silence moments after his exit was announced and spoke of his “deep regret” over claims he had kicked, hit and spat at Zara, and he accepted the decision to step away from the show.
The star, who is married to felllow dancer Giada Lini, insisted there was more to the story than meets the eye and said he will speak out “when the time is right”.
The Sun also revealed how the BBC had been warned twice about Graziano’s conduct towards Love Island star Zara during their training sessions last year.
A source said: “The footage has reduced those who have seen it to tears.”
The BBC insisted it acted swiftly after seeing video footage of the abuse.
Meanwhile other resurfaced footage from last year’s series shows an exhausted Zara curled up on the training room floor ahead of Halloween week.
Zara shared the footage on social media at the time and told followers: “I think I’ve clocked around 50K steps already today with this routine.”
She then begged professional partner Graziano: “Give me a break please.”
