WITH Strictly Come Dancing in meltdown following complaints of professional dancers’ abrasive and even abusive behaviour, viewers will be wondering how the much loved family show turned so toxic.
In an industry filled with top performers who are sticklers for faultless footwork, the answer might be found in the harsh world of dance academies churning out such perfectionists.
Remarkably, both pros who have left the hit BBC show under a cloud this year hailed from the same part of Italy — and attended Europe’s biggest dance school, Team Diablo.
This week, Graziano Di Prima told of his “deep regret” over claims he had kicked, hit and spat at celebrity dance partner and ex-Love Islander Zara McDermott during training — allegations that led to his sacking.
It comes after fellow pro Giovanni Pernice — whose celeb pairings have included Amanda Abbington, Ranvir Singh and Laura Whitmore — was dropped amid stories suggesting he had pushed some stars too hard.
It has been reported that Sherlock actress Amanda suffered mild post-traumatic stress disorder after practising for hours on end with Giovanni.
And it is becoming increasingly clear that the “take no prisoners” approach among those at the elite end of the ballroom is at odds with the fun which celebrity contestants are supposed to have on Strictly.
Graziano and Giovanni both left behind family on the island of Sicily when they were young to study at a “serious” dance studio outside Bologna in the north of the mainland.
Students at Team Diablo practice for up to 12 hours a day, are drilled to perfect their routines and have been said to lose dangerous amounts of weight.
Former Strictly professional Joanne Clifton, who lifted the Glitterball trophy after being paired with broadcaster Ore Oduba in the 2016 series, told how she was hospitalised after being part of the academy.
That feeling of low energy was horrendous and impacted on my training. For a period of four months, I remember collapsing unexplainably — my body was telling me to change something.
Former Strictly pro Joanne Clifton on her time at the academy
She said: “The problem was there were too many dancers — including me — who thought being skinny was good. As well as doing my best to limit my intake of pizza and pasta, and drinking up to ten espressos a day, I cut out meat, which led to me being hospitalised with anaemia.
“That feeling of low energy was horrendous and impacted on my training. For a period of four months, I remember collapsing unexplainably — my body was telling me to change something.”
Sadly, the dance arts world has a long history of abusive behaviour claims, with reports of bullying and dramatic weight loss among pupils at prestigious ballet schools in Britain.
Last year, the BBC reported a “toxic” atmosphere at the Royal Ballet School and Elmhurst Ballet School, although both institutions denied the accounts given by former pupils.
Team Diablo school, which has 11,000 members, has created many champions in the world of Latin American dance.
It has such a prestigious reputation that Joanne left her home in Waltham, North East Lincolnshire, to study there in 2000 when she was aged around 17.
But the pressure on some of the teenagers attending these types of academies can be overwhelming.
Giovanni, 33, who was 14 when he joined the school on an industrial estate, cried due to homesickness. He wanted to return to Sicily 800 miles away, but ploughed on following the sacrifices made by his traffic warden dad Piero and mum Rosalda to send him there.
Giovanni said: “It was hard as I was just a boy, and without my family by my side every day, I felt as if I lost 50 per cent of my strength. At first there were times where I did cry on the phone to my mamma.”
For Graziano, 30, there was the very real prospect of returning to Sicily to pick grapes on a vineyard if his dreams of becoming a dancer did not work out in Bologna.
The Italian, who competed for the Glitterball on Strictly four times, did everything it took to earn a living in the world of ballroom dancing. But he has recognised he stepped out of line in his treatment of Zara, 27, last year.
The BBC dismissed him after reportedly viewing video evidence of an inappropriate incident.
Graziano said in an Instagram statement that “my intense passion and determination to win might have affected my training regime”.
Giovanni, who has denied any wrongdoing in the way he taught Amanda Abbington, also had a strong will to be the best. He has a tattoo on his arm which reads “Born to Win” and has been one of the most successful professionals on Strictly.
So on top of endless hours of stretching and training, our diet was regulated. I wasn’t anorexic, but I was obviously too thin.
Former Strictly pro Joanne Clifton on her time at the academy
In 2021, he scooped the Glitterball with former EastEnders actress Rose Ayling-Ellis and has reached the final on three other occasions. But he did train at a school where the message to pupils is that to get to the top, you need to put the hours in.
Anna Matus, a teacher at Team Diablo in Molinella, near Bologna, said: “They can be here for eight, sometimes 12, hours a day.”
Students are given a special diet, an athletic trainer and a masseur.
Joanne, 40, recalled: “From the age of 16 to 28, I danced in Italy with Team Diablo. Unlike the UK, in Italy there’s a club system for dancing, with a coach who manages every part of your training.
“So on top of endless hours of stretching and training, our diet was regulated. I wasn’t anorexic, but I was obviously too thin.”
A Team Diablo staff member denied students are pushed too hard, but said competition prep was not taken lightly. Monica Cinti, secretary to the director, told The Sun: “Teaching methods are not harsh, but require serious preparation.
“There is a regulation to follow, technical and ethical, such as one must not interfere in the work of others”. It is an approach which, she says proudly, gets results. She continued: “Here, we create world champions. In the last three to four years, we have had a boom in members and world champions”.
Chantal Green, who studied with Team Diablo and now teaches there, insists pupils control their own hours. She says: “You practise what you want to practise. It’s a great place.” But extraordinary dedication is needed to pick up prizes.
Tutor Simone Cané, director of the Paladanze school in Bologna, which is affiliated with Team Diablo, knew Giovanni and said: “To be successful, you have to put in the training, the athletic preparation and make many sacrifices.”
Giovanni won the Italian Open Championship in 2012 and Joanne, whose brother Kevin was one of Strictly’s most famous professionals, was the European Professional Ballroom champ in the same year.
Former Strictly pro Brendan Cole once told how his teacher would physically assault him during cruel lessons. The 48-year-old New Zealander, who studied in his homeland and the UK, said: “My instructor used to hit me on purpose. He used to dig his nails into my back.”
In the early days of Strictly, video footage often revealed stars injured in rehearsals or crying over how the professionals treated them. Jo Wood, ex-wife of Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood, and model Lisa Snowdon, became tearful working with Brendan. Repeating steps for hours on end, all week, is not what many sign up for.
They certainly do not expect to be kicked like Zara reportedly was. If the BBC’S biggest autumn ratings hit is going to survive, clear boundaries will need to be set for the professional dancers.
They must realise extreme practice sessions like they experienced as pupils won’t be tolerated behind the scenes on Strictly.
Or it will be time for the music to stop.
