Zara McDermott has shared her support for close friend Pete Wicks after it was announced he will be starring in the new series of Strictly Come Dancing.
Wicks, 36, signed up for the show after it emerged that the presenter, 27, had been physically and verbally abused by her professional dance partner Graziano Di Prima during last year’s competition.
Despite the surprise of some given his friendship with McDermott and her boyfriend Sam Thompson, the Love Island star took to Instagram on Wednesday to express her support, saying the news “made her so happy.”
Re-posting the official announcement, she wrote on her Instagram Story: “I've never been so excited. Love you.”
In a comment under his announcement, she added: “This makes me so happy. You’re going to have the best time. I am so proud of you.
“I cannot wait to see you in some sparkles and maybe even some hot pants.”
Thompson also penned: “No words. So proud of you... the content we are going to make that you don't even know about yet.”
Wicks confirmed his participation on this year’s installment on Wednesday’s Kiss FM and admitted that he is both “excited and petrified”.
The ITV2 star said on-air: “Its a mixture of excited and petrified, generally petrified. I've been telling people, can you really imagine me really doing this and their like, yeah your right you wouldn't.
“I'm going to have to switch my phone off now I'll have a load of messages.”
Wicks’ announcement comes weeks after it emerged that McDermott reportedly danced with a fractured leg, which she kept secret from producers after injuring herself during training with professional dance partner Graziano Di Prima.
BBC bosses were said to be unaware the 27-year-old had a hairline stress fracture in her leg while performing her Halloween dance with Di Prima.
The report came after it was recently claimed pro dancer Di Prima, 30, “kicked and hit” McDermott during rehearsals. He has since left the BBC series.
While the MIC star said this was not confined to “a singular incident”, a rep for Di Prima previously stated: “This week the news agenda has focused on an isolated incident that Mr Di Prima deeply regrets and apologised for at the time.
“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.”
And now it has come to light that McDermott was dancing on a fractured her leg for week leading up to their Halloween Special performance.
Also the results of an investigation, launched by the BBC following allegations made about Giovanni Pernice by former participant Amanda Abbington, have not yet been published by the corporation. Pernice rejects the allegations.
