Strictly Come Dancing star Vito Coppola sends birthday message to axed professional dancer

Professional dancer dedicated post to his ‘dear friend and brother’

Strictly Come Dancing’s Vito Coppola has sent a supportive birthday message to his friend and former colleague Graziano Di Prima.

Di Prima, who joined the flagship BBC series as a professional dancer in 2018, was dropped from the show in August following allegations over his conduct during training with celebrity partner Zara McDermott. He said in a statement that he “deeply regrets” the events that led to his departure and that his “intense passion and determination to win might have affected my training regime”.

Coppola, who was partnered with Miranda star Sarah Hadland on last year’s series, dedicated an Instagram post to Di Prima, his “dear friend and brother”, on his birthday.

“Happy birthday to my dear friend, my brother. You are a fantastic human and that's why you are so much well-loved. Love and miss you so much,” he wrote.

He shared a similar message on his Instagram Stories, writing: “Happy birthday to this special human. Ti saro per sempre amico! Love you so so much my brother and I miss you so so much!" The portion in Italian translates in English to: “I will always be your friend!”

In another post, Coppola, 32, shared a video of him and Di Prima building a wardrobe together, and another clip of the pair singing and dancing along to an Italian song dressed in their underwear.

To mark his 31st birthday, Di Prima posted a throwback picture of himself as a toddler, reflecting on a life that “hasn’t always been easy”.

“Today I blow out another candle on a life that hasn’t always been easy, but has always been real intensely beautiful in its ups and downs,” he wrote. “Today it’s a new beginning, and I’m walking into it with my heart wide open, full of hope, trust, and peace.”

He added: “Thank you to my wife, my family, and the ones who truly love me and stand by me.”

Vito Coppola dedicated a birthday message to his ‘dear friend and brother’ Graziano Di Prima (Instagram/@vitocoppola)

In an interview with MailOnline in August 2024, Di Prima reflected on the alleged kick that got him fired from the show, stating: “You can’t imagine how many times my mind has been going back and forward trying to think of something that happened all those months ago that I can’t figure out.”

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“The only thing I can think of is the time I kicked the floor in frustration. 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 [McDermott] 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.”

Zara McDermott and Graziano Di Prima on ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ (BBC)

Di Prima’s exit came after fellow professional dancer Giovanni Pernice left the show in June 2024 over allegations of “threatening and abusive” behaviour while partnered with Sherlock star Amanda Abbington. A subsequent BBC investigation cleared Pernice of the more serious allegations levied, which he had denied.

In response to the scandals surrounding the two dancers, the BBC introduced duty-of-care measures for the 2024 series, which saw chaperones present in rehearsal rooms and two welfare specialists joining the production team.

Coppola will be returning to the professional series this Autumn, alongside series regulars Nadiya Bychkova, Katya Jones, Neil Jones and Nikita Kuzmin, as well as two new recruits, who are yet to be revealed. Find the full 2025 professional lineup here.