Zara McDermott and Graziano Di Prima tell Sam Thompson about their Strictly journey
Sam interviewed his girlfriend!
Sam Thompson got the chance to interview his girlfriend Zara McDermott when she and her dance partner Graziano Di Prima joined Sam on his Hits UK show to talk about their Strictly Come Dancing journey.
Zara and Graziano performed a Viennese Waltz to secure their place in week five of the competition, where they will be taking on the American Smooth. After Sam visited the pair in training, he was keen to know if he helped them progress in their dancing.
Graziano said: "Absolutely. That day, she was going through the steps, she was missing a heel, she didn't point. And then you arrive like, 'Hey, I'm here, come on!'"
Sharing the feedback he gave Zara, Sam added: "We were in the kitchen, and I went, and this is going to sound awful, I think she's a little bit robotic right. In her head she's thinking about what she needs to do, where she needs to feel the music.
"And so I went, 'When you're stepping backwards, glide with your feet. When Graziano comes in for the hug, embrace it, feel it. And like really feel the energy.' I will never have this experience in my life, so I have no idea what it's like to finish a dance after being in the dance off as well."
Since being paired together on the show, Zara and Graziano have struck up a firm friendship - something which Zara says has helped her throughout the competition so far.
She explained: "It's really crazy like the bond and the relationship we've built, because you have to bypass all the awkward stage where you kind of like don’t know each other very well. You have to dive straight in and take the time to get to know each other, learn about each other, learn about what works, how to explain yourself and express yourself to the other person.
"It’s a really crazy relationship and bond that you build, that you literally become inseparable. And it’s the same for every other couple in the competition, everyone is with their partner, all the time. Because it’s like a safety blanket, they’re your teammate, they’re almost your comfort in this really overwhelming space."
For Graziano, making friends with his partners and their families is something that is important to him. He said: "The thing for me, every season I try to make a friend, because this person needs to feel comfortable in the room with me, because they've never danced before for example, and we don’t know each other.
"We are forced to spend all day together. You need to understand that I’m just teaching you. Everything I’m saying is not personal, it's about how you move. I’m not telling you that you’re rubbish in life!"
Sam has been proudly supporting his girlfriend throughout her Strictly journey so far, and it's safe to say he's impressed with Graziano's teaching. Sam said: "Zara has never danced a day in her life. If there’s ever been someone who lacks a little bit of rhythm, before she joined Strictly, it’s Zara McDermott. The fact that Graziano has worked the wonders he has with her already is stunning and obviously you’re both my favourite people on Planet Earth at the moment, Zara you always will be."
It's not just Graziano's teaching skills that Sam is impressed with though - he is also a fan of the dancer's dress sense and his curly hair. Admitting that he's tried to grow his hair out too, Sam said: "Zara once came into the room, I was watching TV, I didn't look my best.
"She went, 'I just want to have a conversation with you.' And she went, 'You've just let yourself go a little bit.' But do you know what? I had! Because I was trying to grow my hair out, to look a bit like yours (Graziano's) to be fair."
When can I listen to Sam Thompson's Hits UK show?
You can listen to Sam's Hits UK show on Monday-Thursday from 7pm on Hits Radio.
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