Strictly Come Dancing contestant Zara McDermott has revealed the reason for her nasty foot injury and blamed her professional dance partner Graziano Di Prima.

When practising the Cha Cha Cha, the Love Island star said that she was forbidden from wearing heals and that Graziano insisted that she wear men's boots.

However, this strategy backfired, seeing the celebrity suffer open sores and bleeding from her feet.

Zara McDermott blames dance partner Graziano Di Prima for foot injury ahead of Strictly Come Dancing

Speaking with The Sun, the Love Island star said: “Graziano told me not to go for the heels but to dance in men’s shoes at the start.

“Off he went and got me them and they’re men’s shoes with a little Cuban heel.

“I told him, ‘It’s not working, I need to take them off’ and he said, ‘No, no you’re fine’.

“I said honestly it’s hurting and I took them off and my feet were bleeding. I was like, ‘I told you I am not being dramatic!’

“My feet are feeling better this week, I feel like they’re getting harder now.”

This comes as Zara and Graziano take to the stage on Saturday for the first live show of the season on BBC One.

Speaking of her progress, Strictly Come Dancing contestant Zara McDermott said: “Last week I was honestly like a piece of wood but now I have made some progress."

She added that learning the Cha Cha Cha has been difficult, revealing: “I’m dancing the cha cha cha and for the dance you need to have totally straight legs.

“I’ve learned that your legs have to be bent back on themselves to be that straight, which is really unnatural.

“It is so weird and feels so unnatural to do it but I am getting there.”

Strictly Come Dancing airs this Saturday (September 23) on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.