Former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Kym Marsh has spoken out in support of Graziano Di Prima amid allegations about his behaviour on the show.
The Coronation Street actress, who was partnered with Graziano in 2022, said she has "tremendously fond memories" of her time working with the dancer and said the recent misconduct claims are not reflective of her experience.
"I'm reluctant to talk too much about someone else's experience. I had one of the best times of my life doing that show and it was amazing," the 48-year-old told The Sun.
"I didn't have any experiences like we've heard. It definitely, definitely did not represent what I had experienced, no."
When asked if she was surprised to hear of the allegations made against Graziano, she said "Yeah."
"I'll always have tremendously fond memories," added the actress.
Kym previously opened up about her friendship with Giovanni during the show's run back in 2022. "He's very quickly become like a little brother to me," she told HELLO!. "Graziano is from a big family himself and is very family-orientated so it was important for us to build a friendship and I wanted to integrate him into the family.
"He's fit in really well. Everyone loves him," added the star.
Graziano was dropped from Strictly last month after it was alleged that footage from his rehearsals with former dance partner, Love Island star Zara McDermott, showed him kicking her.
Over the weekend, Graziano said the claims are "vile" and "false". "The only thing I can think of is the time I kicked the floor in frustration," he told MailOnline. "We'd practised hour after hour to perfect a routine with lifts. It wasn't easy but that’s the pressure of the show. I was in pain from lifting her so many times but wanted to get it right. I thought I could save her [from elimination].
"I wasn't meaning to kick her. I'd never, never do that. My foot brushed her after I kicked the floor. Afterwards I hugged her and said I was sorry. There was no problem. We carried on," he continued, adding: "I'm not a monster. I'm not an abusive man."