Vick Hope’s former ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ partner Graziano Di Prima has spoken out against her comments about judge Shirley Ballas. 

The pro dancer defended the head panellist after Vick said she had “relished” in criticising her, and suggested Shirley had beef with her. 

The Capital FM DJ also claimed the judges had shared a “conflab” with producers before deciding to send her home over Seann Walsh after Sunday’s dance-off. 

Responding to Vick’s remarks about Shirley, Graziano said (via the Daily Mail): “I don’t really agree with that. Shirley is an amazing teacher and a professional teacher before. So if she said that it’s because it’s true.

“It’s her work, if you see on the show she really looked to the legs and the feet, the timing and everything. So for people who never dance before, you understand the feeling more than the technique.”

He added: “Also during the week when you dance with a person who has never danced before you have to understand also the feeling. That’s why it’s so hard for us, a pro dancer, it’s not just about the dance. The dance is the easy part.”

The BBC had previously denied Vick’s inference that producers were involved in the decision to send her home, claiming it was “categorically untrue”. 

“Each judge votes on each dance independently, based on its merits and in their expert opinion alone,” a spokesperson for the show said. 

“The judges use an electronic voting pad to transmit their score or choice of who to save to the production gallery which is then locked in and cannot be changed.  

“Only after this does a producer speak to the judges, advising them on how long they have to speak and reminding them to give a reason for their decisions. The process was exactly the same this weekend.”

Graziano’s decision to speak out against Vick will do little to silence claims of a rift between the pair. 

After she was eliminated, Vick ‘liked’ a tweet which said she would have gone further in the competition with Neil Jones as her partner. 

However, they later attempted to play down the rumours with a Twitter love-in, thanking one another for their time together in the competition. 

‘Strictly Come Dancing’ continues on Saturday at 6.50pm on BBC One.