Zara McDermott has broken her silence after it was confirmed her close friend Pete Wicks has joined the new series of Strictly Come Dancing.
Pete, 36, signed up for the show after it emerged that the presenter, 27, was physically and verbally abused by her professional dance partner Graziano Di Prima while taking part in the competition last year.
His signing came as a surprise to some viewers, given his friendship with Zara, and her boyfriend Sam Thompson.
However, sharing the news to Instagram on Wednesday, she threw her support behind Pete saying it ‘made her so happy.’
Re-posting the official announcement, Zara wrote: ‘I’ve never been so excited. Love you.’
Zara McDermott, 27, has broken her silence after it was confirmed her close friend Pete Wicks has joined the new series of Strictly Come Dancing
In a comment, 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.’
Sam also shared: ‘No words. So proud of you… the content we are going to make that you don’t even know about yet.’
Zara and the former TOWIE star frequently joke they are in a throuple relationship with Zara’s boyfriend Sam Thompson, 31, who has been best pals with Pete since 2019.
Despite their close-knit friendship, he has landed a spot on the Strictly line-up amid shocking reports Zara performed on the show with a ‘fractured’ leg following an injury in training and needed painkillers to get through ten-hour rehearsals.
The latest revelation comes after professional dancer Graziano, 30, admitted to kicking Zara during their sessions, causing him to be sacked from the BBC series.
It follows claims his abusive behaviour was caught on video, in clips Zara stated were ‘incredibly distressing to watch.’
A source told MailOnline: ‘Zara is so happy for Pete landing the Strictly gig.
‘Her experience on the show was so individual – she hopes no one will go through the same again.’
Pete (pictured), 36, signed up for the show after it emerged that the presenter, 27, was physically and verbally abused by her professional dance partner Graziano Di Prima last year
His signing came as a surprise to some viewers, given his friendship with Zara, and her boyfriend Sam Thompson
However, sharing the news to Instagram on Wednesday, she threw her support behind Pete saying it ‘made her so happy’
In a comment, she said: ‘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’
They added: ‘She knows that Pete will have an amazing time and could even impress the judges, he’s incredibly hardworking and a good person, and will thrive in the environment, which can be intense, but he performs best when he’s challenged and under pressure.
‘Zara doesn’t want anything that happened to her to taint his Strictly journey and backs Pete even if it is a bit close to home.’
Pete joined Sam in the Strictly studio audience last year and together they wore patterned shirts embellished with Zara’s face to show their support.
They posed for photographs alongside Zara and Graziano, who has since fled to his native Sicily in the wake of his Strictly axing.
Reality stars Sam and Pete became friends following their appearance on E4 show Celebs Go Dating in 2019 and have since hosted podcast Staying Relevant together.
As well as their podcast, the pair’s working relationship sees them prank each other in viral social media videos based around Sam’s enthusiasm and eagerness to please juxtaposed with Pete’s moodiness.
Zara often features in the clips, which has seen the trio perform fun dance routines for their huge combine following.
The Sun revealed Zara needed painkillers to get through ten-hour training sessions after breaking a leg bone on Strictly.
A source told the publication the TV star danced during the show’s Halloween week with a fractured leg, and it was ‘literal horror in every sense of the word.’
An X-ray revealed severe ligament damage plus a stress fracture on her left tibia.
Show bosses learned the full extent of the injury only two weeks ago when Zara spoke to private investigators amid the inquiry into Graziano’s behaviour.
The documentary maker and the former TOWIE star are close pals and even joke they have a throuple relationship alongside Zara’s long-term boyfriend Sam
The latest revelation comes after professional dancer Graziano Di Prima admitted to kicking Zara during their training, causing him to be sacked from the BBC series
The BBC star has spoken out about her experience in the Strictly training room and being ‘scared’ about her future and ‘victim shaming’ in the wake of the revelations
Professional dancer Giovanni Pernice has also been sacked from the show following an ongoing investigation into his conduct after actress Amanda Abbington told the broadcaster she had been mistreated.
On Wednesday, Amanda revealed to Channel 4 the BBC had failed to offer any ‘aftercare’ following her departure from Strictly and the onslaught of trolling she experienced once Giovanni was booted off the series.
She revealed there are ’50 hours of footage which have been blocked’ to back up her claims Giovanni created a ‘toxic’ environment in the training room.
Speaking to former Strictly co-star Krishnan Guru-Murthy, she said: ‘It’s bullying and it’s aggressive behaviour and there were other things that happened that were very upsetting that you manage at the time in the room because you’re a woman and you have to manage those things because otherwise what do you do?’
